


In A Grimm Manor

by Soulwithlife



Series: The Grimm Slayer Saga [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Humor, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-23 03:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4860725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulwithlife/pseuds/Soulwithlife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Through an unfortunate accident, Jaune ends up damaging Weiss' precious sword, Myrtenaster. In his infinite wisdom, Jaune offers to pay her back however he can, somehow getting roped into a trip to find the mysterious haunted manor hidden deep within the Emerald Forest. Will the two 'friends' make it back unharmed, if at all?</p><p>[Takes place between Volume One and Volume Two. Light Arkos shipping]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Vital Importance Of Being Clumsy

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"Um...hello? Ruby? Weiss? Anyone in?"

Jaune had been raised a polite boy or, as other, less kind individuals would have put it, a very stupid boy. He had knocked on the door thrice, pressed an imaginary doorbell on the wall and waited several minutes just in case they were up to some hilarious slapstick antics, but so far, there'd been no answer. It _seemed_ like it was safe to enter, but unfortunately, Jaune's instincts were entirely against him.

_Come on, Jaune, just go in!_

_B-but, it's a girls' room! I can't just go barging in unannounced!_

_Seriously? You already live with Nora and Pyrrha, for dust's sake. What are you going to do, catch cooties?_

_But what if it's covered in panties or something?!_

_Then you'll be a very lucky young man, won't you? Now go!_

To Jaune's relief (sort of), team RWBY's room was _not_ covered in women's undergarments...or at least, not at the moment. Instead, what caught his eye was a pair of the most precarious bunk beds he'd seen in his entire life and, if he believed in reincarnation, all of his past lives, too. Was...was one of them being held up by _stacked books_? Good heavens, they weren't even alive and Jaune _still_ felt as though he was supposed to put them out of their misery. Otherwise, it seemed like the room wasn't all that different from his own team's, albeit missing the gender-dividing curtain of ominousness...or Stephen, as Nora like to call it- er, him.

In any case, he wasn't just here to criticise poor furniture arrangements; Jaune Arc had a very important job to do. With a little flourish, the young blonde produced a delicate white envelope from the pockets of his messy jeans, placing it on the closest bed with all the care of an expert flower arranger after having drunk several bottles of vodka. Still, despite his manhandling of the letter, neat handwriting reading "Yang" made its recipient clear, even if it was on Weiss' bed at the moment. Jaune had to admit he didn't quite understand why Pyrrha was sending a sealed letter to a girl who was right across the hallway from her, but he knew it wasn't his business to pry. After all, it was like his mom used to say: when women go wrong, men go right after them.

Now, all he needed to do was creep out of the room without disturbing the various empty cookie packets all over the floor, and he would be free of any unnecessary drama that seemed determined to follow him like a puppy with very bad character judgement. Unfortunately, just as he was about to walk through the doorway, something silver glinted seductively from the far corner of the room.

"Is...is that _Myrtenaster?_ "

Cautiously, like a caveman approaching the first fire, he made his way over to Weiss' expensive sword, glad to finally get a look at it up close. It was a very elegant weapon, thin enough to pierce a man's heart but robust enough not to break on the way out. Well suited to the Snow Angel herself, as Jaune might've said in a fit of particular bravery and/or stupidity.

He couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like to wield such a weapon...

_What? Are you insane?!_

_H-hey, don't get me wrong! I like Crocea Mors, I just want to try something...slimmer! Is that so wrong?_

_I don't know about morally wrong, but it sounds like a good way of getting your testicles hung above Weiss' mantelpiece._

_Ah, but how's she going to cut them off if I have her sword? Eh? Ehhh?_

His inner conscience apparently unable to respond to the level of 'logic' Jaune had just displayed, the young man grasped what seemed like Myrtenaster's hilt, pulling it closer so that he could admire the weapon's finer qualities. It was incredibly light, as if he wielded a deadly blade of grass...yet, from what he'd seen of it in action, whatever it was made of could block the strikes of even the strongest Grimm.

_You realise that thing is probably worth more than most houses, right?_

_All the more reason to try it while I can!_

Being used to the heavier swings of his own sword, Jaune very nearly a cut a hole in the floor as he attempted an experimental downward strike. However, as he went to give it another shot, a high-pitched voice cut through the air like a well-made paper aeroplane.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!"

In his eagerness to give Weiss' weapon a whirl, Jaune had carelessly forgotten to close the door, leaving the moment prime for interruption by the one and only Snow Angel herself.

"Put it down _right this instant!_ " Weiss commanded forcefully, accompanying it with an authoritative finger-pointing that wouldn't look out of place in a certain courtroom.

Of course, being thrown straight into panic mode, Jaune put Myrtenaster down in the quickest way he knew how.

He dropped it.

SNAP

"You...you absolute _idiot!_ Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Weiss screamed, grabbing Jaune by the collar and lifting him right off the ground like a disobedient toddler.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Jaune spluttered, his previous bravado quickly crumbling under Weiss' stern gaze. "I didn't mean to drop it like that, and I never thought that it would just...snap!"

For a moment, the two Beacon students were locked in a staring contest, Weiss' light blue eyes pitted against Jaune’s terrified dark blue. Soon, however, Weiss lowered him back to the ground, letting herself analyse the wreck that was now Myrtenaster.

It wasn't all that bad, really. While the miscellaneous material was indeed quite expensive, the real money was in the dust crystals embedded within the guard which, thankfully, were completely unharmed. Unfortunately, what _wasn't_ unharmed was the blade, and thanks to Jaune's awful luck, _that_ had broken off _right_ at the hilt. Which, in essence, left Weiss with what was now a very odd looking wand rather than an expertly designed rapier.

She sighed heavily, sending Jaune a disappointed look.

"What, in the name of dust, were you even doing here in the first place, hm? Isn't the rest of your team in the lunch hall?"

"W-well uh, I was just delivering a letter to Yang and-"

"Ha, a likely story! If you wanted to give something to Yang, why did you head to our room when you knew we were out?"

Jaune blinked.

"I...didn't?"

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed incredulously. "But Professor Port announced that team RWBY would be scouting the Emerald Forest in Grimm Studies! How could you _not_ have known?"

"Ohh, Grimm Studies...yeeeeah," Jaune said awkwardly, darting his eyes from side to side. "I remember thaaat. We were learning about, um...Grimm. Yes."

"You fell asleep, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." Jaune admitted, letting his arms fall in defeat. "Wait a minute, if your team's supposed to be out in the Emerald Forest right now, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I was excluded from the mission because, if you'll cast your mind back to the long time ago that was yesterday evening, _Myrtenaster was damaged and in need of repairs!_ "

Jaune paused, the realisation dawning like a brick to the face.

"Oh," he squeaked.

"Yes, Jaune. ‘Oh' indeed," Weiss commented bitterly, giving him another hard glare. "And now what am I going to do, hm? Do you have any idea how long it will take to import the labour in to get this...this _mess_ repaired?"

Weiss gestured to her 'sword', waving her arms around like she was performing some ancient summoning.

"You can't just rejoin it at an ordinary forge, you know!" she continued. "And don't even get me started on-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Jaune exclaimed unhappily. "Is there any way I can make it up to you? Maybe pay for the fix or something?"

Weiss gave Jaune a look that spoke volumes; probably lengthy, verbose volumes on basic economic theory.

"Jaune, I don't think you quite get how expensive something like this is to repair."

"Three Lin?" Jaune guessed.

"Higher, Jaune. Much higher," Weiss replied witheringly.

"Five Lin?"

"Oh for dust's sake, just shut up!" Weiss snapped irritably. "The point is, there's no way I'm letting you pay me back in Lin for breaking Myrtenaster, even if you _had_ the money. It'd be like me paying you back with..."

She waved her hand vaguely in his direction.

"I don't know, dirt or something."

"Hey!"

"Did you or did you not take a shower this morning?"

"I did! It was for a whole ten minutes, too!"

"Well you could have fooled me, Jaune. Anyway, I've got a much better idea for how you can get back in my favour. Would you like to hear it?" Weiss asked, a hint of steel in her voice.

"Um...sure?"

"Deep within the Emerald Forest, there's said to be an enormous mansion, hidden in the most ingenious ways known to man, housing what may be the last wild aura font. So-"

"Wait, you mean _the_ mansion?"

"Yes, Jaune," Weiss responded, annoyance clear in her voice.

"The _haunted_ mansion?"

"Yes, Jaune," Weiss repeated, her voice now transitioning to a slightly malicious tone. "And I want you to take me to it. Tomorrow."

"W-what?! Why me?"

"Because you _broke my sword!_ Also, while your combat abilities remind me uncomfortably of a damp paper towel, unfortunately for you, everyone else is otherwise occupied with some kind of baking tomfoolery in Vale."

"And they wouldn't come with you if you asked?"

"I have no doubt that they would, but this is supposed to be a punishment for you, Jaune, not for me. I think I'd rather cut my own ears off than listen to you and Ruby chatter about whatever pops into your inane little heads for several hours."

Jaune thought about the situation, a little worried that it reminded him of the troubles with Cardin Winchester. Then again, Weiss was his friend, and she was only asking because he'd messed up big time. The fact that she was letting him make reparations at all was a miracle in and of itself, really. Still, he supposed it was best to ask what the alternative was.

"And if I don't do it?"

Weiss raised a curious eyebrow.

"Well, if you're really adamant about it, I'm sure Professor Goodwitch would be absolutely _thrilled_ to hear about how you broke into our team room and destroyed my weapon in some kind of sabotage attempt, don't you agree?"

"Hey, that's not why I was in here and you know it!"

"Oh really? All I've got is your word to go on, and even if you are telling the truth, I still don't think there's any way you can logically excuse messing with another student's stuff!"

Weiss had in fact already spotted the letter Jaune had delivered, but he didn't need to know that. Not yet, anyway.

"So what will it be, Jaune? Will you come with me on a little trip tomorrow, or are you just itching to get into the infinite number of detentions Goodwitch is going to pile on you?"

Jaune sighed.

"Weiss, you don't need to blackmail me here; even if I'm not too happy about going to the mansion, I _want_ to make it up to you...'cause you're my friend, right?"

Weiss looked him up and down as one might to a drunk man claiming he used to be an astronaut.

"I suppose..."

"It's settled then!" Jaune announced happily. "Just let me know when you're going tomorrow and I'll, uh, get my stuff together. Can I tell my team where we're going?"

Weiss blinked.

"You could say I've had bad experiences with trying to deceive your team. Tell them if you wish, but _do_ try to make sure none of them tag along. I'd rather not have Pyrrha do all the legwork here, even if I'm sure she'd be thrilled to do so for her, ahem, 'glorious leader Jaune Arc'."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said, you simpleton! Now, why don't you trot off back to the lunch hall, hm? _Someone_ has to clean this mess up, and considering your current clumsiness, I wouldn't put it past you to somehow break Ruby's ridiculous scythe as well."

"But it's not even in the room right now!"

"No, Jaune. No it isn't."

Jaune paused, not quite sure how to respond.

"Oh," was all he managed.

"Mmhm," Weiss murmured, more to herself than Jaune. "Now go on, shoo! Exit! Départ! Other words telling you to go away!"

Despite it all, Jaune left the room with a silly little grin on his face. He'd expected Weiss to cut him into tiny little pieces for even daring to _touch_ her sword, much less break it, but it seemed like she really _had_ become a lot nicer since the beginning of the year. In fact, the next day could even be quite a nice experience! Wandering the Emerald Forest with a pretty white-haired girl in the hope of finding adventure...it couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

_Sure, Jaune. Keep telling yourself that and maybe it'll actually become true!_

_Oh, shut up, brain. No one asked you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya AO3! Soulwithlife here, formerly from fanfiction.net. As such, this story is technically an import from my account over there, though I will say that this is a 'reworked' version in that I've gone through and fixed a few errors I missed on my first few runs. Since the story's pretty much already done, I'll be releasing a new chapter every two days, and when that's done, I'll get to uploading the second fic in the series, 'None Of Your Business'.
> 
> If you can't wait that long, then like I said, the full stories are available on ff.net, they're just a little...rough around the edges. If you can possibly afford to wait for the cleaned-up versions, I highly recommend you do so.
> 
> Oh, and just because I've been going over these, that doesn't mean there aren't any errors. If you spot something, then please let me know in the comments. My work being the best it can be is far more important than my ego.
> 
> In any case, that should be all for now. Catch you in a couple days, peeps!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.


	2. Pride And Jaunedice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"Jaune, not that I don't trust you, but…are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I've had all night to think about it, Pyrrha. Good idea or not, I owe Weiss a debt, and I'm not just going to let her down, okay?"

The news concerning his imminent journey was met with mixed results. Ren had merely wished him luck, along with giving him a little last-minute advice about managing his aura levels. Nora, meanwhile, had begged desperately to come along, but a quick reminder about the tastiness of cakes managed to let Jaune off with a grin and a pat on the back.

Pyrrha was taking it the worst.

"I understand, Jaune, but I really wouldn't mind coming with you if you need the help. With Weiss' weapon damaged, it would just be you against-"

" _Just_ me?" Jaune repeated questioningly, but without anger of any kind. He remembered all too well what happened with the Cardin situation, and he resolved to not mess up like that again. He couldn't quite pinpoint why, but Pyrrha keeping radio silence with him had made him really unhappy while it lasted. Strange...

"Um, what I meant was-"

"Look, Pyrrha," Jaune said softly, taking one of her hands in his own. "I know that you're worried, but you have to believe in me, okay? All this training, all this striving to get better…none of it matters if I can't put it into practice!"

"But you don't have to do it alone, Jaune!"

"I'm not alone! Maybe Myrtenaster isn't quite in the best shape at the moment, but Weiss is still one of the best fighters in our year, bar none. Do you really think that the two of us together can't fight off a few petty Grimm?"

"No…" Pyrrha admitted grudgingly, averting her eyes.

"Then we'll be perfectly fine, won't we? Trust us, Pyrrha…trust _me_."

Pyrrha sighed, reluctantly letting go of Jaune's hand.

"You're really set on this, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't be pushing it so hard if I wasn't."

For a time, the two team-mates stared into each other's eyes, locked in a battle of wills. Huh, it almost seemed like…

_...Is Pyrrha blushing?_

"Ooh, popcorn's done!"

Broken out of their little moment, Jaune and Pyrrha whipped their heads around to see Nora sitting on team JNPR's floor, eating a small tub of caramel popcorn. Where did she get that from, anyway? Did they even _have_ popcorn?

"Aw, you stopped!" Nora complained, pouting. "Want some? It's delicious, and it's totally part of your five a day!"

"I'm okay, Nora, but thanks for the offer," replied Jaune, smiling despite the circumstances. That was the great thing about having Nora on your team; she never failed to make you feel better when things got a little too serious.

"Is popcorn _really_ part of your five a day?" Pyrrha asked playfully.

"Yup! It's part of the six food groups; sugar, salt, sugar, chocolate cake, sugar-"

"Yeah, don't listen to Nora for diet advice," Ren warned as he returned to the room. "Not if you value your arteries, anyway."

He glanced over to Jaune and Pyrrha, raising a surprised eyebrow.

"Still here?"

Giving Pyrrha a slightly guilty look, Jaune picked up Crocea Mors from his bedside and rushed over to the door.

"See you later, team!"

As the blonde boy zoomed off down the corridor, Nora shook her popcorn tub, whining disappointedly at its contents (or lack thereof).

"Think he'll be okay?" Ren asked bluntly.

Pyrrha sighed once again.

"I hope so, Ren. I really hope so."

* * *

 It struck Jaune that bolting out of the room to escape awkward situations wasn't particularly practical, especially when the location you're running to is right across the hallway from your starting point. Thankfully, the door had closed automatically behind him, so Pyrrha wouldn't have to see him make an absolute embarrassment of himself…at least, not _again_.

"…why…you should've…door!"

On the plus side, it seemed like Weiss wasn't going on this operation scot-free, either. Not that he could hear the specifics; Headmaster Ozpin had wisely decided to make the dorm rooms with fairly potent sound insulation. Did Ozpin have children? It wouldn't be too surprising, considering his apparent familiarity with teenage theatrics.

"…I…forest…GOODBYE!"

Unfortunately for him, Jaune was in no way prepared for Weiss sprinting out of her team's doorway at approximately the speed of snark, giving him no time to sidestep as she sent the both of them crashing against the opposite wall.

"Ow! Watch where you're going, you cretin!" Weiss exclaimed hastily, brushing herself off as she untangled her petite form from Jaune's swirly-eyed wreck.

"Gah…didn't you…run into me?" Jaune wheezed, his aura ineffective against sub-par comedy antics.

"Bah, details! Now come on, get up!"

Groaning, Jaune just about managed to pull himself off of the chilly hallway floor, checking frantically to make sure he hadn't damaged any of his gear.

"Right, as if your gangly little body could break that sword and shield of yours!"

"That's Crocea Mors, thank you! And um, I guess not? Better safe than sorry, though!"

"Oh, so _now_ you're worried about weapon maintenance? It didn't seem to stop you when you had Myrtenaster in your grubby little hands!"

"I said I was sorry, okay? Besides, would it really make you feel better if _my_ stuff was broken, too? That would just make us doubly awful in combat!"

"Right, because we're _totally_ on the same level, Jaune."

He groaned, both mentally and physically facepalming.

"Look, can we please stop arguing for just one minute? I've been grappling with Pyrrha all morning and I really need some time where I don't have to constantly defend myself. Can I have that, Weiss, just this once?"

Weiss shrugged neutrally, motioning for Jaune to follow her down the hallway.

"So, you got molly-coddled too, huh?" she asked finally.

"Yeah…I know I'm not exactly the strongest student in the school, but it's like ever since we started training together, she's become super-protective of me. Am I really that weak, Weiss?"

Weiss bit her lip.

"You want the truth?"

"It'd be nice."

"I don't think you're weak, Jaune. Inexperienced and untrained? Maybe. But even if you are, from what I heard, you took out an Ursa Major single-handedly, more or less. That's hardly a mean feat, _especially_ for someone who isn't in touch with their semblance yet. Or at least, I don't _think_ you are."

"Semblance…" Jaune muttered, rolling the word around his head. "Yeah, I remember that from Basic Tactics. Is it really true that everyone has a semblance?"

"Not exactly, Jaune. Everyone has the _potential_ to have a semblance, but only a small percentage of the population will ever unlock it."

"Do you think I'll end up finding mine?"

By this point, the dynamic duo had reached the main elevator room. It was quite well-decorated, really. Smooth marble-like material covered the walls and floor, almost like it was ripped right out of a fancy hotel, and the elevators themselves were slick silvery constructs courtesy of the Schnee Corporation, working tirelessly around the clock to service those students who were too lazy to go up the stairs but were totally fine with fighting terrifying monsters. Yes, this definitely made sense.

As Weiss pressed the neon pink 'call elevator' button, she turned to face Jaune, her expression seeming a lot softer than what he was used to.

_Oh dust, what have I done now?_

"I'm a genius, Jaune, not a fortune teller. Still…your aura regeneration rate is absolutely staggering, so it's quite possible that you're on the cusp of discovering your semblance."

"But you don't know for sure?"

"Mmhm. Ah, here it is, right on time!" Weiss chimed in as the elevator pulled up. "Not that I would expect any less from one of our company's expert subsidiaries, of course."

Jaune harrumphed, stepping into the strange little box with nary a thought. He'd hardly been in many elevators before he'd come to Beacon, but he reckoned that one lifty-uppy-downy-thing was probably pretty similar to another when you got right down to it. Of course, Schnee Corp. wasn't exactly known for going for function über alles, so the elevator was floored with beautifully patterned white tiles, with several high-quality mirrors affixed to walls just in case you wanted check your make-up or something. Not that any of this mattered when certain geniuses decided it would be a good idea to press all the buttons at once, including the emergency stop button, while somehow expecting the elevator to work perfectly fine afterwards.

And speaking of 'geniuses'…

"Uh, Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"Is it just me, or is this elevator a little…not-moving?"

The ground floor button had only just been pressed, and already a very worrying creaking noise was reminding them why good little students took the stairs and not these blasted contraptions.

"Don't be ridiculous! It's just…taking a little while to start up, that's all!"

An awkward minute passed.

"This is obviously your fault, Jaune."

"Oh, sure," Jaune replied sarcastically. "I guess my semblance is breaking elevators then, 'cause I haven't touched a darn thing in here!"

"Don't you take that tone with me!" Weiss snapped back.

"Sorry, Weiss. Just a little on edge about this whole 'trapped in a cramped elevator' thing."

"Cramped? There's plenty of space!" Weiss retorted, swinging her arms around to demonstrate.

"Yeah, but I was also counting the bits taken up by your ego."

"Ohoho, you're one to-"

EEEEEEEEEEEEEURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRK

"By all the powers that be, what is _wrong_ with this elevator?" Weiss cried, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. "It sounds like a dying moose!"

"That's…oddly specific."

Thankfully, before Weiss was forced to think of some way to justify her statement, the two students' scrolls decided to ring in unison. After a bit of rummaging through their pockets, the annoying beeping devices were retrieved, revealing the image of a very chilled-out looking Ozpin, casually drinking his cup of coffee, as always.

"Elevator trouble?" Ozpin asked, a wolfish grin plastered across his face. "You really should take the stairs, you know. It's good exercise."

"Are the dust mechanics working on fixing them, sir?" Jaune inquired politely.

"Yes, yes, I wouldn't worry yourselves; you'll both be out in a minute or two. So, in the meantime…" Ozpin paused, taking another sip of his omnipresent coffee. "Perhaps Miss Schnee would be kind enough to tell me why she is taking Mister Arc on an unauthorised trip to Deadlight Manor when her weapon is currently in need of repairs, hm?"

"What? How did you-" Weiss began.

"I KNOW ALL. Also, Miss Belladonna told me about it earlier today."

"But I never said anything about the mansion! How did you figure that out?"

"I KNOW ALL. Or rather, I had a suspicion that might be where you were headed. You simply confirmed it for me."

It took a few seconds for Weiss to fully process this information.

"That was sneaky…" Weiss muttered, openly glaring at Ozpin's smug face.

"You don't get to be headmaster without learning a few tricks on the way up, Miss Schnee. Now, _technically_ , first year students aren't allowed in the Emerald Forest unless they apply for a mission permit first. _However_ …"

Ozpin leaned closer to his scroll, clasping his hands together.

"I'll give you special clearance for this little adventure, just this once. That way, Glynda can't pull you out of there when she realises what's happened, hm?"

"Thank you Professor Ozpin!" Jaune exclaimed enthusiastically, since Weiss was apparently still quite sore about the whole trickery thing.

"Now now, don't go thanking me yet, Mister Arc. In return for my benevolence here, I need you two to behave yourselves. If you come across any Greater Grimm, I don't think I need to tell you that taking it on alone would be foolhardy indeed. Dust knows that the Nevermore didn't go down without a fight, and I wouldn't be surprised if a similar monster inhabited the depths of Deadlight Manor. If you see such a Grimm, you must evacuate the area as soon as possible. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Professor Ozpin," the odd pair confirmed, one more grudgingly than the other.

"Right then," Ozpin paused, finishing the last of his coffee. "Wouldn't it be convenient if the elevators turned back on just as I was finished talking to you?"

VROOOOOOOOOOOOM

" _Very_ convenient," Weiss commented dryly, narrowing her eyes.

"Quite, Miss Schnee, quite. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go do something that's _not_ making students hate my guts," Ozpin said matter-of-factly, turning the video link off with a resounding _click_.

"Man, Professor Ozpin's really cool! Isn't it neat how he's so good at planning and always knows what you're going to-"

A sharp look from Weiss quickly cut off Jaune's stream of fanboyism.

"Uh, by which I mean…darn that Professor Ozpin, always getting in the way of our evil schemes?"

"Just shut up, Jaune," Weiss muttered absently.

_That's weird. Her command seemed kind of...spiritless? Maybe she's lost in thought…_

As the two students finally stepped out of the lift, Jaune wisely decided not to snark back, at least for a little while. If Weiss wanted to talk to him about whatever was on her mind, she was free to do so. Until then, it would probably be best to focus on the task at hand. That is, trying to find a mansion no student has ever been to and could very well not actually exist.

Jaune sighed.

This could be a looooong day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all put on some elevator music for this one! I apologise if it's a little late, but I ended up posting the first chapter in very early morning, so it kinda messes up my scheduling. So, y'know, if the next one turns up three days from now rather than two, try not to act too surprised >.>'.
> 
> Anyways, I'd best get to writing the next 'To The Heart Seeking Freedom' chapter.
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.


	3. Intermission - Sense And Liability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.
> 
> Note: Intermission chapters focus more on what other characters are doing during the events of the work. They can be skipped if you're in a hurry, but they provide context for things that happen later on, especially in the sequel.

Cake was better than boys. Boys left you in a city you've barely been to with people you hardly know so he can help a girl who you're fairly sure he has a massive crush on.

Cake didn't do that. Cake was tasty, solid. Cake wouldn't let you down.

So why was she still thinking about him?

"Hey, P-Money!"

Pyrrha glanced up from her table, waving for Yang to take a seat. RBY and NPR had been in Vale for a few hours now, and almost everyone else was busy trying out the free baking lessons that were going around. However, after trying her hand at it for a while, Pyrrha couldn't help but feel she needed a little fresh-air, purposefully seeking out an isolated café near the outskirts of the city. It was a little past lunch time, and while there were a couple of well-dressed socialites on the other stylish glass tables, the café was a tad on the empty side. Not that Pyrrha minded, of course. It gave her time to think.

"P-Money?" Pyrrha repeated amusedly as Yang sat down on one of the black wooden chairs.

"Catchy, right? It means you're totally a cool cat!" Yang replied, sending Pyrrha a sly wink.

"Well, if you want to call me that, I suppose I don't mind."

The two girls sat there awkwardly for a moment, Pyrrha swirling her slim glass of orange juice with a tiny spoon. Why were they always so tiny, anyway? Were these made for dwarf customers or something?

"I got your letter, by the way," Yang commented, glancing around conspiratorially. "Do you want to talk about it now, or…?"

"There's no one around at the moment, so, sure."

Yang scanned her surroundings like a cat on the prowl, smiling seductively at an attractive waiter as he passed by the table. The young man blushed, shuffling away back to the café kitchens.

"Ah, boys. They come in so many different flavours!" Yang said sweetly. "But you're looking at the tall, blonde and dorky type, am I right?"

Pyrrha looked down to her feet, nodding ever so slightly.

"Aha! I had a hunch, but I wasn't sure I had the right end of the stick- er, spear, I guess. Glad that I did, too, 'cause you two'd make an _adorable_ couple!" Yang exclaimed happily, curling her hand into a 'thumbs up'.

"You really think so?"

"Sure! You're a sexy amazonian woman, claiming her directionless man through combat prowess and force of will, and he's a good guy at heart who needs a strong woman in his life to give him a good slap on the ass! Literally, if you like," Yang teased, waggling her eyebrows.

"U-uh, I'm not sure that's quite how it is, but…I suppose I see your point, Yang," Pyrrha admitted, her blush almost luminescent at this point.

"So what're you waiting for, then? I mean, you're already living in the same room together, and from what I've heard, the touch barrier isn't a problem. Why not ask him out?"

"Well…I think he's attracted to Weiss instead."

Yang blinked.

"What, 'cause he hit on her the first time you met?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me somethin', P-Money: you ever dated a guy before?"

This time it was Pyrrha's turn to blink.

"Uh…"

"If you don't mind me asking!" Yang added hastily, wringing her hands. "Sorry, I'm used to talking kinda straight-up about this stuff."

"It's fine, I was just surprised...and no, I've never dated anyone before."

"Ever been hit on?"

Pyrrha smiled softly.

"A few times, yes."

"Then let me ask you another question. Do you think that the guys who hit on you also liked other girls, but just hadn't showed them the same kind of attention?"

"Probably?"

"Definitely, P-Money, definitely. Now, Jaune-ry the Eighth may have _started_ as a Casanova wannabe, but don't you think he's gotten a bit more sensible as time's gone on?"

"Yes?"

"There's your answer then! The reason Jaune showed interest in Weiss _before_ but not you _now_ isn't necessarily because he doesn't like you, but because he _knows better_. He cares about you, and probably doesn't want to risk your friendship when the attraction might be one-sided."

"You really think so?"

"Sure! I mean, I don't know Jaune as well as you do, but I've seen his type plenty of times. They're good and sort of bumbling, so in relationships, they'll always put your feelings before their own…it's just sometimes they get it a bit wrong, yeah?"

"So…you think I should just ask him on a date?"

"Maaaaybe," Yang replied mysteriously, rolling her head from side to side. "Wanna hear a better idea, though?"

"Sure!"

"Nudge him along, bit by bit. Drop progressively heavier hints that you're interested in him, and make yourself someone he can trust absolutely. That way, at some point, he'll figure it out himself, ask _you_ out, and think that it was _his_ idea the entire time!"

"Wouldn't it be easier to ask him myself?" Pyrrha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well yeah, but this way is about a billion times more fun, don't you think? Eh? Ehhh?"

"I don't know…I feel like I'd be stringing him along a bit."

"Hey, to each their own, right? Anyways, if you just wanted my opinion on whether he was interested or not, then there you go, you've got it. Like, seriously, I'd bet my right arm that those two'll come back testy as ever, definitely not 'together together'."

"Is it really that unlikely?" Pyrrha asked dubiously.

"'Course it is! Weiss needs someone who's either super submissive or super opposed to her, I reckon. Jaune's in that middle area where he's got too much pride to do everything she says without protest, but he's nice enough to consider her feelings and help her out when she needs it. For Weiss, he's _perfect_ friend material, but no more than that…I think."

"Hm…"

"But you're still not sure if he's even attracted to you in the first place, right?" Yang asked sagely.

"Yeah…"

"Excuse me, an order for 'Pyrrha Nikos'?"

The two girls had been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't even noticed the waiter from earlier, who had just pulled up with a delicate plate topped with a delicious-looking raspberry cheesecake.

"Cheesecake? I don't think I ordered this…"

"You didn't, young miss. However, not too long ago a blonde boy came into the café, paying in advance for this cheesecake, saying that it was 'a thank you for all of her help'. You _are_ Pyrrha Nikos, no?"

"Yes, I am, and thank you very much, sir," Pyrrha mumbled, handing over a few Lien. "A little extra for the excellent service, and I'll be sure to recommend this place to my friends!"

The waiter accepted the cash with a grin, setting the creamy dessert down in as gingerly a manner as possible. As he turned to walk away, Yang called after him.

"Hey, waiter boy! I wouldn't mind if you gave _me_ some excellent service one of these days," Yang growled seductively. The waiter merely coughed.

"I'm afraid I'm already taken, miss."

"Gah, assbiscuits! I mean uh, have fun with your guy slash girl slash other!"

Yang whined as her 'prey' escaped unscathed, glancing jealously towards Pyrrha's cheesecake.

"I wish guys bought _me_ cake," she complained, pouting. "More often, anyway."

Pyrrha took a dessert spoon out of the table's cutlery dispenser and, ever so gracefully, began eating, bit by bit.

_So what's your favourite dessert, Pyrrha?_

_Hm? Why do you ask?_

_Well uh, I just thought of it when Nora was ranting about food earlier, and, you know..._

_Ah, I see. Then…cheesecake, I think, strawberry cheesecake. I always used to have one after a big tournament._

_Really? It's a shame the cafeteria doesn't do any._

_It would be nice, but it's okay; I found this Vale café the other day that makes them, so it's not really **that** annoying._

_Oh, cool! What's it called?_

Pyrrha glanced up to the neon sign spelling "Celica's Soothing Café" in beautiful curling letters, then looked down to her half-gone raspberry cheesecake.

 _Close enough, Jaune…_ Pyrrha thought happily, continuing with her demolition of the creamy pudding. _Close enough._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when I originally posted this on FF.net, I had a weekly update schedule...except, being the impatient bugger I was, I decided to write a few intermission chapters inbetween weekly chapter postings. This was the first of its kind, though there are a few more before the story's end. Like I said at the top, they're skippable if needed, though I'd say they're entertaining enough to warrant a read regardless : P .
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.
> 
> P.S - A big thank you to frik1000 on FF.net for helping me fix a rather large unintentional plot hole that was in the original version of this intermission. Oops!


	4. Of Dice And Men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"Alright, Sky. Roll a D20."

"Which one's that again?"

"It's got twenty numbers on it, spiky thing."

"Ah, got it! Here goes..."

The sound of a dice roll slightly disturbed some forest vermin below.

"Fifteen!" Sky Lark exclaimed excitedly. “That means I hit, right?"

"Well uh, um...let me just…" Russel muttered, rustling through page after page of ineptly-organised notes. "It should be in here somewhere…"

"Your DM skills leave something to be desired, Russ," Dove commented dryly.

"Hey, it's not like I volunteered for this, okay? _Cardin's_ supposed to be the Dungeon Master here, not me!"

Russel Thrush, Sky Lark and Dove Bronzewing were sitting in a clump beneath a thick tree cover, bickering between themselves...not that this was the unusual thing, of course. Amongst the three members of CRDL were large quantities of paper, several dozen varieties of dice and a veritable cornucopia of snack food. Meanwhile, vaguely hidden behind a couple of convenient bushes, two pairs of confused eyes leered at this unusual seen.

"...are you seeing this?" Jaune whispered, gesturing towards RDL. They'd been in the forest for about ten minutes now, and already they were bumping into weird stuff. Figures.

"I am," Weiss replied curtly. "Although I'm not entirely sure _what_ I'm seeing. Is it some sort of game?”

"It’s Dungeons and Dragons, Weiss! It's, like, the nerdiest game ever! And they're _CRDL!_ " Jaune exclaimed, barely containing his amusement.

"..."

"...i-it's funny because bullies are usually jocks? And...jocks hate D&D? Get it?"

"Shut up, Jaune."

"Okay…"

A short pause in the conversation ensued, but of course, it was far too good to last.

"Having fun?" a mischievous voice quipped from above.

"Gah!" Jaune yelped, turning his head upwards to try and confront the eavesdropper. Hung from the tree like a Christmas decoration was none other than Sun Wukong, a wolfish grin spread right across his face.

"Oh, hey Jaune! How's my favourite ladykiller doing today, huh?" Sun asked with a friendly tone.

"I-I'm fine, Sun," Jaune mumbled, letting his eyes stray to Weiss' unamused expression. "What are you doing out here?"

"Could ask you the same question, but I guess I'll let it slide for now. As it happens, I came here to help CRDL get a bit of teamwork mojo going."

"With a petty board game?" Weiss shot back skeptically.

"Not _my_ idea, princess! It was Cardin's, actually. Said he used to play it as a kid, and it made him super best buds with the guys he grew up with. Gotta admit I'd never played it before myself, but hey, there's a first time for everything, am I right?"

"Is that you, Sun?" Sky's voice echoed out from the clearing.

"Yup, I'll be there in a minute, guys!" Sun replied happily. "Why don't you two come along? I reckon it'll do you good to see how far they've come, if you haven't already."

"Sounds like a waste of time to me," Weiss commented dismissively. "We didn't travel out into the wilderness to play this 'Dungeons and Dragons', you know. Some of us have work to do!"

"Come on, princess, don't be such a killjoy! What about you, Jaune?"

Jaune looked between Weiss and Sun helplessly, realising that he would have to disappoint one of them regardless.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt-"

"Alrighty then, ladykiller. Heads up!"

Without another word, Sun grabbed Jaune by the hand, effortlessly flinging him straight out of the bushes. Through either sheer luck or skilful aiming, Jaune somehow managed to not land on anything important, not even all of the random paper strewn about. Groaning, he began picking himself up, only to be offered a hand by Sky.

"Hey, Jaune! Nice entrance, there. Very dynamic. Want some help?" Sky asked genuinely.

Normally Jaune would have thought this was a cruel trick of some sort, but there was something in Sky's voice that persuaded him otherwise. Perhaps foolishly, he took Sky's hand with little hesitation, feeling himself being lifted up with no further consequence.

"Thanks, Sky."

"Hey, don't mention it! It's the least I can do after all that bullying stuff we did before…sorry about that, by the way. No hard feelings, right?"

Jaune blinked.

"Uh..."

"Don't mind him, Jaune. Ever since that time in Forever Fall, he's been feeling really bad about what we did to you. Not that the rest of aren't sorry or anything, but…" Russel paused, looking over to Dove. "We wouldn't all be so open about it, would we?"

"Hmph. Just doing what I was told, Russ. It's Cardin who needs to apologise, not me."

"Uh huh, sure," Russel replied sceptically. "Oh, hey Sun! And...Weiss?"

After Jaune's grand entrance, Sun coming into the group with a forward roll seemed almost mundane by comparison. Weiss, of course, merely walked in while trying her best to retain some form of dignity.

"Good to see you again, Russ! How's the D&D going?"

Russel looked down to the marginally more organised stack of DM notes, a sweat drop visibly rolling down his forehead.

"I don't think I'm really cut out for the role of DM, to be honest, but I'm trying my best. Is Cardin still not back yet?"

Sun shook his head.

"You don't think he's in trouble, do you?" Sky asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine," Dove said. "He told us to wait here for him, and that's what we'll do. If he wanted help, he'd have asked for it."

"So? He's our team leader, and we can't just let him get attacked by an Ursa again!"

Sun pointed a thumb over to Sky and gave Jaune a proud look. _Progress_ , he mouthed.

"Sky's got a point, but we've got no idea where Cardin is right now. If we go out to comb the forest for him and he gets back here injured, what's he going to do? We've got to trust that he had the right idea, you know?"

"I guess…" Sky admitted grudgingly. "Anyway, what're you two doing here, Jaune? Off on a monster hunting quest?"

"Something like that, yeah," Jaune half-lied. "Just thought we'd pop in when we saw you guys were playing D&D. Do you like it?"

"Sure!" Sky replied enthusiastically. "I'm this totally kickass barbarian with this enchanted hammer who gets into bar fights all the time and kills dragons and-"

"I think he gets the point, Sky!" Russel said, chuckling. "But yeah, turns out Cardin's pretty good at being a DM and stuff. Who knew, right? Uh, not that he's bad at telling stories or anything…" he backpedalled rapidly, glancing around to make sure their leader hadn't popped up out of the blue.

"So where'd he go, anyway?" Jaune inquired curiously.

The three CRDL amigos shared a nervous look.

"We're not sure," Dove admitted. "Said he was going off for a while, but refused to tell us where. Kinda hypocritical for the guy who keeps saying we should trust each other more."

Even Russel and Sky murmured their agreement.

"Don't worry about it, guys!" Sun exclaimed in a reassuring manner. "Jaune's going to find Cardin and help him get back here, aren't you, Jaune?"

"Well uh...the thing with Weiss comes first, but I'll be sure to tell him to head back if I see him around."

"Ahem," Weiss cut in. "Perhaps we should be leaving these boys to it, hm? We've lost more than enough time already, after all," she commented sharply, pointing up to the noon sun that could _just_ be glimpsed between the thick leaves above.

"I guess you're right. Catch you later then, guys!"

"Sure thing, Jaune! Now, back to finding that character sheet…" Russel muttered, leafing through his papers like a man possessed. Dove, meanwhile, simply made a subtle whipping sound effect.

"Wait a sec, ladykiller. Remember that thing you told me about before?" Sun asked mysteriously.

"I _think_ so."

"Well, I took care of it for you, no problem. So, y'know, if your lady friend mentions it later…”

Jaune smiled softly.

"Thanks, Sun. I'll pay you back as soon as I can, I promise!"

"As you like, ladykiller. See you in a bit!"

And so, after much chatting, Jaune and Weiss left the little D&D group to their thing, setting off once again in whichever direction they were heading in previously. Not that it mattered, really. After all, they didn't have any clear idea where the manor was, so why bother heading in one direction in particular?

Of course, there was no making such an argument with Weiss. She knew _exactly_ where she was going.

Apparently.

* * *

 

"Jaune."

"Huh?"

"How long have we been in the forest now?"

"As long as a piece of string?"

"Oh, hilarious. Perhaps you would also like to inform me of how many Grimm we have encountered thus far?"

"The square root of negative one?"

"That's...no, Jaune, just no. You get my point though, right?"

"Over this past hour or so, Weiss, I've received many points from you...some of them very literal ones. Ow."

"Oh, shush. Don't you think it's odd that we haven't been attacked yet, despite basically making more noise than Nora in the shower?"

The terrible twosome had indeed been travelling peacefully for a good while now and, for the moment at least, had stopped in a small glade featuring a very convenient seat-like tree stump. Weiss, of course, was the first to jump on the opportunity to have a rest.

"Won't you get splinters from that thing?" Jaune asked, taking a somewhat less dignified seat on the floor.

"Ah yes, 'splinters'. The collections of irritating bits of wood that are allegedly waiting on tree stumps. We have dismissed that claim," Weiss replied haughtily.

"Just like you dismissed Ruby as a good leader..." Jaune muttered under his breath.

"In any case," Weiss began, crossing her legs. "We can't just keep wandering around aimlessly like this. All we've found so far is an uncomfortable amount of poison ivy, team bird theme minus the C, and the fact that money really _could_ grow on trees if I just had access to gene manipulation technology."

"And none of that is bringing us any closer to finding the manor, right?"

"Mmhm."

Jaune began idly playing with the grass as Weiss put her brain to work.

"...Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it was odd how Professor Ozpin knew exactly where we were going, despite the fact that there's plenty of other interesting landmarks we could have gone to instead?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Could've been just a lucky guess."

"Do you _really_ think that?" Weiss asked skeptically.

"Well hey, what if he did know beforehand? Does it really matter that much?"

"Think about it, Jaune. We've been wandering this forest for an hour now, have come across absolutely no Grimm whatsoever, and neither have we found a single trace of the manor. Maybe the latter I can forgive, but the former just doesn't make any sense!"

"So...what? You think it's a set-up?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's just- WHAT THE DUST?!"

A dark brown branch had stuck out of the tree stump and Weiss, in one of her many habits, had been lightly tugging at it as she spoke with Jaune. As the conversation continued, slowly but surely, the branch had been pulled further and further back, finally culminating in an enormous shaking as the stump began to shamble across the ground.

"T-that was a lever?!" Jaune exclaimed incredulously, scrambling to his feet. "But it looked so normal!"

Finally, after Weiss had kindly vacated herself from her position atop the stump, the mysterious machine revealed a small, incredibly dark hole leading deep into the earth. Maybe it was just his eyesight, but from what Jaune could see, there didn't seem to be any sign of a bottom.

"...do you think this is it?" Jaune asked quietly, somewhat fearing the answer.

"Hidden in the most ingenious ways known to man..." Weiss mused, glancing back to the tree stump. "In plain sight, it seems. How pedestrian."

Jaune gulped.

"So, uh...how exactly are we getting down there? If there even _is_ a bottom..."

"Oh please, a bottomless pit? You know those don't exist, right?" Weiss said dismissively.

"Y-yeah, of course I do! It's just...that thing must go a fair way down. Even if it's not bottomless, I get the feeling we'd have a little trouble surviving the fall."

"Speak for yourself, Jaune. I have glyphs!"

"Maybe you do, but they're not going to help if you can't tell where the ground is, are they?"

"...have I ever told you that I hate it when you make sense?"

"Well if you haven't already, then- wait, what are you doing?"

In a matter of seconds, Weiss had pulled out her scroll, apparently doing some rapid-fire virtual keyboard work.

"None of your business, thank you very much! Anyway, why don't you set a marker on your scroll's map? That way, we can find this spot again if we want to come back later."

Jaune nodded, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his own scroll...but alas, it was not to be. After fiddling with some slightly wet grass for too long, Jaune's hands were slippery, causing his precious device to be flung out of his mitts-

"Oh no."

-right into the beckoning abyss.

"Oh nooooo-"

As if matters couldn't get any worse, in trying to catch the scroll as it fell, Jaune had managed to knock himself horribly off-balance. Suddenly, he had a lot more to worry about than a bit of lost tech.

"-ooooooooooooo!"

Having finally finished her typing, Weiss looked back up to see Jaune desperately clinging to the edge of the hole, screaming his heart out.

"Idon'twannadieIdon'twannadieIdon'twannadie-"

Weiss began rushing forward, preparing an attraction glyph to bring him back up.

"Jaune, just hang-"

Too late.

"...on."

Swearing quietly to herself, Weiss dove in after her incompetent temporary team-mate, gritting her teeth as the thick smell of earth and decay buffeted her lungs.

_Idiot_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, intriguing! Is the pit really bottomless? Will Weiss catch up with Jaune? And will we ever actually get to see the manor in the fic title?
> 
> Find out next time on Dragonball- I mean, uh, In A Grimm Manor!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.
> 
> P.S - There's actually an intermission chapter before the next 'official chapter', so you'll have to hold your excitement a tad longer. Sorry! : P


	5. Intermission - The Cakes Of Wrath (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intermission Summary: Taking place just before Sense And Liability, this chapter focuses on the main crew (i.e. not Jaune and Weiss) as they dive into the magical world of baking. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Jones was the epitome of a Vale citizen: prim, proper, middle-aged, economically comfortable...and yet, for some otherworldly reason, she had been struck with the idea of starting up her own bakery. She'd never baked a thing in her life, for dust's sake, and suddenly she wanted to switch from accounting to rising cakes!

Some might have called her mad and, for the most part, she would have agreed with them. After all, only a madwoman would offer free baking lessons to a bunch of Beacon students, especially only a month after opening.

"Do you think this is it?"

She'd gotten quite a good deal on the building, all things considered. Sure, it had housed enough cobwebs in it to weave into a suit of armour at first, but that was nothing that a little TLC couldn't fix. Well, she supposed there was also the tiny circular holes in the roof which, as far as Elizabeth could tell, were probably made from large quantities of bullets. Yet, after Elizabeth was done with it, even the fussiest interior designer would admit that it looked all the part a bakery.

Rich mahogany flooring had replaced the creaky oak boards of times past, giving the place an air of sophistication and artistic flair. The pristine white walls assured you that the establishment was clean and orderly; after all, dirt showed up on white like nothing else. After the casual visitor had taken in the fantastic architecture, they would no doubt walk up to the fastidiously kept counter, browsing the multitude of pastries on display with child-like glee. Of course, if one wanted to have their cake and eat it, as it were, the second floor of the bakery, available via an elevator and a fancy spiral staircase, housed a small, quaint little café area.

"I mean, it _says_ it's a bakery…"

Elizabeth had spent an enormous amount of money on the place and, while she hadn't been open long, the bakery had enjoyed a lucrative amount of attention from Vale’s elite...perhaps a little _too_ much. She needed an assistant and, as it happened, Beacon students needed pocket money.

How bad could it be?

"Ooh, ooh, we should just burst through the door! It'll be dramatic and stuff!" came a bubbly voice from outside.

"I don't think the owner would appreciate that, Nora. You going to knock, Ruby?" someone's dry tones responded.

"Wuh?! Why me?!"

"It was _your_ idea, wasn't it?"

“Fine, fine…"

Knock knock knock.

"Come in?" Elizabeth called out dubiously.

"Choo choo, all aboard the Nora train!"

"No, Nora, don't-"

Elizabeth cringed as several gangly forms catapulted through her front door, one of them almost smashing right into her precious glass counter. There looked to be six of them in total, and not a single one of them seemed practically dressed for baking. What was that red girl wearing, anyway? Some kind of dress? And, well…she wasn’t even going to start on the tall one.

"Um...are you the Beacon students, by any chance?"

Perhaps realising that they were making a bad first impression, the motley crew of NPR and RBY peeled themselves off of the bakery floor, with the girl in the black and red dress deciding to take charge, apparently.

"Eheh...yep, that's us! We're really sorry about how we came in, by the way! Nora's kind of on the enthusiastic side when it comes to baked stuff and, well...she just kind of-"

"Barrelled through the door at the speed of cake!" supplied the bubbly one.

"Something like that, yeah. Anyway, I'm Ruby!" the red girl explained cheerily. "And these are-"

"Ruby?" the solitary male cut in.

"Yes?"

"We can introduce ourselves, you know."

"Oh, uh, right...sorry! I'll just let you get on with that, then."

The little group of misfits went round with their names and Elizabeth, dutiful as ever, began taking them down in her omnipresent notebook. Her memory wasn't the best, sadly, but her incredible organisational skills managed to make up for it...most of the time, at least.

"Okay, I think I've got this. Ruby, Blake, Yang, Nora, Ren and Pyrrha, is that right?"

"Well _technically_ Ren's first name is Lie, but he prefers being called Ren 'cause Lie kinda sounds like lie, you know?" Nora supplied happily, bouncing on the spot all the while.

"Uh...right," Elizabeth said, blinking. "As for myself, if you don't remember from the flyer I sent out, my name is Elizabeth Jones, or Lizz for short. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"

In terms of appearance, Lizz was about as plain as her white loafs. She looked exceptionally middle-aged, with dyed honey-blonde hair and bright blue-eyes being somewhat marred by a few wrinkles and the rogue gray hairs that had escaped the dyeing process. Not that it was easy to see this, however; being a full-time baker these days, Elizabeth's semi-luscious locks were often covered by a classic and extremely puffy white chef's hat. Finally, thick, black-rimmed spectacles framed her lovely eyes in a slightly dorky look, an observation only further enforced by their classic rectangular shape.

Blake in particular seemed to pay attention to what Lizz was wearing, looking her up and down with keen interest.

"Will we be needing aprons, Lizz?"

Lizz frowned, looking down at her handy notepad. ‘BUY APRONS’ was, thank dust, already crossed out.

_Good job, past Lizz!_

"Yes, yes, don't worry about it, Bleak-"

"Blake."

"Blake, sorry. I always keep two or three spare aprons around, but I picked some extras up yesterday, just in case. Now, let me think…"

Hidden behind the fancy counter was the unassuming door to the bakery 'backroom' as it were...or, to put it another way, where all the _real_ magic happened. Three dust-powered ovens hummed along in case an explosion of customers came in, so with six students…

"I'm afraid that I haven't quite got enough ovens for one each, so you'll have to split into pairs, if that's alright. Why don't you decide who you're pairing with while I prepare things in the back? Don't worry, I'll only be a minute or two."

And with that, the two incomplete teams were left alone in the room. Some of the pairs were obvious, of course; Ren and Nora was instantly suggested by the latter, and no one was in any position to argue. Meanwhile, Blake had volunteered for Yang to be her partner and, after an informative look with Pyrrha to confirm something, Yang agreed wholeheartedly. Which left…

"Welp, guess I'm paired up with you, Pyrrha!" Ruby exclaimed with a little false-excitement, secretly wishing Weiss was there. "Are you any good at baking?"

"I'm afraid that I've never done much before, to be honest, but perhaps my semblance will help somewhat?"

"Your sembl- oh, right! And I've got my speed, so…"

Ruby glanced suspiciously around the mini-groups.

"We're not competing here, are we?"

"I wouldn't worry about _us_ , Ruby," Ren replied dismissively. "Nora'll probably eat half of the cake mixture before we get to bake anything."

"Only half?" Nora asked sweetly.

"Not exactly helping your case, Nora. In any case, if you wish to 'win', you should probably keep more of an eye on Blake and Yang."

Yang's eyes flashed competitively.

"Did someone say 'win'?"

"Oh dust…" Blake muttered quietly.

"Come on Blake, it'll be fun! Don't you like winning things?"

"Not as much as you do, apparently, but that's not the point. If we're competing to make the best cake, all we'll end up doing is either rushing or spending far too much time on them. Either way, we all lose."

"Aw, spoil sport! What about you, Ruby?"

"I don't know...maybe Blake's got the right idea…"

"Ah, Ruby Rose, getting out of losing once again..." Yang said, grinning mischievously all the while.

"W-what? What are you talking about?!"

"Egg race, ten years ago. Sack race, nine years ago. Race race, eight-"

"Hey, shut up! Those were all different and you know it! I can make a better cake than you as easy as one two four...er, three!"

"Ha ha, that's the spirit, sis! May the best gal win, etcetera etcetera…"

Thankfully, before the two sisters had the opportunity to launch any choice words at each other, Lizz returned with several spotless aprons in tow.

"Alright, then…" Lizz said finally, giving the groups an appraising look.

"Who's ready to do some baking?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to your regularly scheduled program in another couple of days. See you then!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.


	6. A Farewell To Legs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Finally, after what seemed like a very long time, especially for Weiss, Jaune stopped screaming. He was still falling, of course, but perhaps that was the point; it had been almost a minute now, and he hadn't hit anything yet. Perhaps he had reached terminal velocity at some point, but if not for the dank air that relentlessly whooshed past his face, Jaune would have been none the wiser. Eternal darkness had that effect after a while.

"Jaune?" a slightly concerned voice echoed from above.

"Weiss?"

"Oh, good. I thought that the screaming stopped because you'd hit something."

"Thanks for the concern?"

"Hey, what was I _supposed_ to think? That this was some kind of bottomless pit? As if!"

Jaune waited around half a minute to drive his unspoken point home.

"...though we certainly are falling quite a way," Weiss admitted grudgingly.

_Come on, Jaune, time to get your brain in gear. What do we have that might help, here?_

The first order of business would, at first glance, be to stop falling, but there were only so many ways of doing so that didn’t also involve a shattered everything. If there was any room in this hole, he could draw Crocea Mors and embed it in the wall...nah, that wouldn’t work. Assuming that the sudden stop didn't instantly break his arm, the general lack of vision would just cause a collision between himself and Weiss. Terrible idea, terrible idea! Almost as terrible as picking up Myrtenaster that one time.

_Ah, nostalgia. No, wait, wrong word...soul-crushing regret. Yes, much better._

Jaune heard Weiss cursing under her breath above him but, otherwise, it didn't seem like she was offering much in the way of assistance.

_You know, this would be a lot easier if we could see what we were doing._

_Well what am I supposed to do about that, huh? I lost my scroll!_

_Doesn't Weiss still have hers?_

"My scroll?" Weiss parroted after Jaune sent the question her way. "Huh, that might actually work. Hold on…"

It wasn't easy given the conditions but, after a little fumbling around, Weiss retrieved the little gizmo from her dress, opening it up to reveal…

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Weiss exclaimed in disbelief.

"Is it out of battery?"

"No, that can't be it! The bar said that it was fully charged before we fell in here!"

Weiss sighed.

"It was actually a decent idea, too…"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Jaune replied encouragingly.

"Are you serious?! We're falling down into infinity! I don’t know about you, but _I’d_ say that’s a pretty worrying development!"

She had a point there, but really, freaking out would get them nowhere fast. Well, okay, it would continue their descent into the hole, and they were probably falling incredibly quickly, but it wouldn't get them anywhere _useful_ fast.

All they needed was a light, like a torch, or…

_Wait a minute…maybe I don't need a torch. Maybe I just need me!_

It would have made quite a spectacle, if it had been light enough for anyone to see it, at least. Sort of like a sputtering fire, struggling fiercely against an unrelenting wind ruthlessly attempting to put it out. But, like the fire, Jaune wasn't smart. Jaune wasn't even particularly strong.

Jaune was simply very, very determined.

"What…?" Weiss muttered, shaking her head.

_I'm glowing. I'm glowing! Man, wait until Pyrrha hears about this!_

Then, all of a sudden, the off-white glow Jaune was emanating became even brighter.

_Of course, it's aura, a representation of the soul! All I need to do is think about feel-good stuff, right?_

Slowly but surely, thought by thought, Jaune's glow slowly morphed into an incredible _shine_.

"I'm not sure how you're doing that, Jaune, but to be honest, I couldn't care less at this point. Time to find out where we are..."

As Jaune had suspected, the tunnel was the same width that it had appeared on the surface, just being big enough for one person or so, but not much more. However, the walls were made of cool grey stone, not dirt as he had thought, so sticking Crocea Mors in there would definitely have been a bad, bad idea. But what could they even do with this information? Sure, it was nice to see where they were going for a change, but there was still absolutely no sign that the pit had a bottom.

"Gah, this is hopeless!" Jaune lamented, his light dimming slightly.

"No, wait, turn it back up!" Weiss snapped. "I think I see something!"

Re-activating the 'happy thoughts happy thoughts' manoeuvre, Jaune returned to his previous brightness level, allowing Weiss to continue her scan. After a couple of seconds, the heiress shouted excitedly.

"Yes, I think I get it now!"

"Get what?"

"It's a glyph, Jaune! We're trapped in a looping glyph! Stop looking at the walls and look _down_!"

Obeying Weiss' command for once, Jaune turned his eyes downwards, focusing very carefully as yet more stone rushed past. Yet, once he'd grown accustomed to the walls zipping by, he began to notice an incredibly faint purple circle that kept zipping past.

"I think I see it too! But uh, what _is_ a looping glyph?"

"Well, _glyphs_ , technically. It's a kind of short range teleport; when you pass through one glyph, you are transported to its partner, as long as said glyph is still being powered while you're trying to use it. In this case, as we pass through the glyph at the 'bottom', we're teleported to the one at the top, making it _seem_ like we're stuck in a bottomless pit!"

"So can you disable it?"

"Pah, of course I can! It's just...we might not survive afterwards."

"Ah...I can see that being a bit of a problem."

"Wait a minute…Jaune, stay as still as you can. I have an idea!"

"Um, okay."

"Also, don't look up."

"Why?"

"I'm wearing a combat skirt, you dunce!"

Jaune blushed furiously, bowing his head.

"Yes ma'am."

While he couldn't look up, Jaune could certainly _hear_ that something was going on. VROOM. VROOM. VROOM.

"...this is harder than it looks!"

"I'm not looking!"

"Good!"

VROOM. VROOM. VROOM.

"Ah, there we go!" Weiss cried triumphantly.

"Gah!"

Through an inverted use of her white glyphs, Weiss had managed to increase her speed going down the hole, eventually ending up right in front of Jaune. This was good, in a way; Jaune wasn't the biggest fan of cracked grey walls, after all.

However, this _was_ a small tunnel.

A _very_ small tunnel.

"I feel like I made a miscalculation here…" Weiss admitted, averting her eyes.

"Uhhhhh," Jaune groaned nervously, keeping his arms very, very straight. He didn't want to think about what Weiss would do if they wandered.

"Jaune?"

"Y-yes?"

"I need you to grab my hand."

"Uh…"

"Please, Jaune, trust me. I don't want to do this, and you don't want to do this-"

"Actually, I-"

"-but this might just save our lives," Weiss finished, carefully cutting off Jaune's intermittent comment.

"R-right...here goes?"

"That's not my hand, you pervert!"

"Sorry!"

"...right, that's better. Try not to let go, Jaune. You're a handy torch at the moment, and I'd hate to lose you."

"What a lovely sentiment," Jaune responded dryly.

"Quite. Now, hang on tight! This might get rough!"

Weiss extended her free hand below her, the bladeless Myrtenaster glittering magnificently in Jaune's glow. All of a sudden, a series of small white glyphs began to shoot out of the weapon's dust exhaust port and, little by little, the entangled pair began to slow down. Soon, Weiss had managed to pause them in mid-air, suddenly finding the strain of holding onto Jaune being a little more than anticipated.

"You need to...lose some pounds…" she grunted, sweat pouring down her face. If not for her near-exhausted look, Jaune would have snarked back, but he knew whatever she was doing was taking an enormous amount of effort. It was her show, now; all he had to do was play his part.

"Dust...dispel!"

Upon Weiss' furious command, all six dust colours began shooting out of Myrtenaster, zooming downwards like a sharp blade to cut right through the loop glyph.

"...Jaune?" Weiss whispered hoarsely.

"Weiss?"

"...I'm sorry."

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

Myrtenaster was out of dust. And this time, as much as he wish he couldn't…

Jaune could see the bottom.

_Come on, Jaune! Think, think! You can't come all this way just to die in a hole! It's not fair!_

Then it struck him; his aura would save him at this speed.

_Yes! But...what about Weiss?_

Just from looking at her, Jaune knew she was absolutely exhausted. What was it Professor Port had said?

_No doubt some of you brave hunters and huntresses will have already discovered your semblances...and if you have, you should be very proud of yourselves! However, take heed; extended use of your semblance will rapidly deplete your aura. Keep this in mind! One day, it might just save your life!_

_Or cost you it,_ Jaune thought bitterly.

There was probably around twenty seconds until the two of them hit the ground, if that.

_I...I can't just let her die!_

"Jaune…"

_Not here!_

"I'm sorry…"

"Not now!" Jaune yelled at the top of his lungs, pulling Weiss into a rough embrace.

...

**BOOM**

* * *

 

_I...I’m okay?_

Weiss had kept her eyes tightly shut ever since an enormous crash had surged through the earth, and while she would never admit it afterwards, she had clung to Jaune like he was the last man on Remnant.

_Shouldn't I be dead right now?_

Letting her eyelids slide open, Weiss finally got to look around what she presumed to be the bottom of the hole. The previous stone of the tunnel had become more organised, this time forming very definite brick shapes...well, apart from in the impact crater, anyway. Then, to her left stood a proud wooden door, meticulously engraved with an all too familiar white snowflake.

_This is really it...I never thought- wait, why am I still holding Jaune?_

As much as Weiss would have liked to drop him like a sack of potatoes at that moment, she supposed a more dignified lowering was required here, especially considering Jaune’s state. There were no cuts, or at least, none immediately visible, but Weiss still wasn't sure he had escaped the crash unscathed, or even how _she_ had. She had felt her aura essentially hit zero...if the fall hadn't killed her, it should have _at least_ broken her legs or something.

Yet here she was, absolutely safe and sound.

"Rrgh…" Jaune groaned, having been moved to a rough approximation of the recovery position.

"Jaune?"

Weiss bobbed down, meticulously searching him for injuries all the while.

_There's not a scratch on him! What gives?!_

"W-Weiss?" Jaune's croaky voice returned quietly. "I...I can't feel my aura..."

"Shh," she said soothingly. "Try not to move, okay? Dust knows how we survived the fall, but I'd be willing to say that _you_ had something to do with it. Could you roll onto your back for me, please?"

He complied as best as he could, but Weiss noted that he only used his arms to accomplish the feat.

"Like this?"

"Mmhm," Weiss confirmed. "Are your legs alright?"

"I'm not sure I can move them right now…"

"I thought as much. Now, stay still for a moment, Jaune. I need to confirm something."

"O-okay…"

Soft as silk, Weiss placed a delicate hand on Jaune's chest, searching desperately for an aura signal. You couldn't lose aura, after all...or at least, that's what she'd been taught at Beacon.

_It's there, but it's incredibly faint. Whatever happened, it must have used up his aura reserves even more than mine._

"Do you have any idea what you did, Jaune?"

He smiled weakly.

"Is that...a rhetorical question?"

"Not this time, you dolt! I mean, I know what you did for the first part which, by the way, was absolutely foolish. Let's get you sitting up…"

Her aura regenerating faster by the second, Weiss found it easy enough to pull Jaune up to a better position, despite her struggle with him earlier.

"So what'd I do?" Jaune asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

"It's called the Aurora technique, Jaune. Essentially, you amplify the brightness of your aura to the point that it becomes bright enough to see by."

"Sounds okay so far…"

"That's because I haven't finished yet! See, the Aurora technique is only supposed to be used as _emergency_ lightning, with it only lasting for around five seconds or so in most circumstances. I don't know how long it took for us to hit the bottom after your lightshow, but I'm willing to bet it was a lot longer than five seconds."

"So what?"

"So you should be _unconscious_ right now! I guess you slept through that class too, huh?"

"Um...absolute aura exhaustion causes you to go unconscious?"

"Yes, Jaune! The only way I can rationalise you being able to hold the technique for so long is that ridiculous aura regeneration. Somehow, you must have gained the same or greater amount of aura than you were expending, even with the Aurora."

"Oh...so how did we survive the fall?"

Weiss frowned, turning back to the Schnee-emblembed door.

"Honestly, I don't know, Jaune. I really, really don't."

Hisssssss…

"Uh, Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"Do you hear that?"

HISSSSSSSS…

"Jaune, don't move!"

Weiss couldn't stop herself from moving closer to the door as several serpentine shapes began easing themselves out from beneath the brickwork, their jet black bodies contrasting heavily against their bone-white masks and cruel red eyes.

"Grimm…" she breathed, drawing Myrtenaster as the beasts began wrapping themselves around Jaune's limbs.

"H-hey! Get off of me!" he cried, helplessly shaking his arms in some futile attempt to get the snakes off.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

_Oh, right. Out of dust. Fantastic._

"Hang on, Jaune, I'm coming!"

Weaving her way through the increasing numbers of tiny snakes now littering the floor, Weiss finally managed to make her way over to Jaune, his face twisted in utter terror. With surprisingly little difficulty, she managed to pry Crocea Mors from the poor boy's waist, putting the shield portion aside as she wielded the sword like a zweihander.

"Mmph!" Jaune cried, the snakes having tied themselves over his mouth.

_I've got to be careful here…_

With surgeon-like precision, Weiss sliced through as many of the Grimm as she could, pulling Jaune to his feet as she did so. Still having little control of his legs, it was all he could do to hold onto Weiss' arm for dear life.

"There's more of them, Weiss!"

Glancing down, the young heiress saw that her terrified team-mate was speaking the truth. Yet more fell to Weiss' deft hand but, whether through some trickery or simple superior numbers, the snakes didn't seem to stop their mindless charge.

"This isn't helping! Jaune, take your sword back. If any of the Grimm try to crawl up me, cut them off."

"B-but, what if I hurt you?"

"Oh for dust's sake! My aura's almost completely recovered, so any of your pathetic little strikes are going to be deflected off, alright? Now get to work!"

Given little choice in the matter, Jaune began frantically chopping away at whatever Grimm he could see. In the meantime, Weiss was confronting the (theoretical) way out.

"I am Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, and I demand you open!"

"Uh, Weiss, doors don't-"

"Weiss Schnee," a robotic voice echoed from nowhere in particular.

"-open like that?"

"SDC Order 32!" Weiss barked.

"Order received. This unit will open upon a correct answering of the criteria."

"Give me the criteria, now!"

Jaune's arm was beginning to tire from chopping down this apparently endless horde of snakes, but the possibility of escape gave him the resolve to carry on.

"Yeah, take that! And that!"

A low rumble emanated through the 'room' as an ice blue virtual screen was projected from the Schnee logo. Written upon it, in white capital letters, was...a riddle?

_I AM DEAF, FOR I CANNOT HEAR._

_I AM BLIND, FOR I CANNOT SEE._

_I AM DUMB, FOR I CANNOT THINK._

_YET, I ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH._

_WHAT AM I?_

Weiss frowned, turning the words over in her mind. Like most riddles, the subject matter seemed like an impossibility, but it was all about thinking outside the box, as it were.

_Given its attributes, this doesn't seem to be a living thing...so what is it?_

"I don't want to be 'that guy', Weiss, but we're running out of time!"

_It cannot see, hear or think, yet it always tells the truth…_

_…_

_Of course. What else would it be?_

"A mirror!"

After a short pause, the Schnee company door flew open and, not wasting a minute, Weiss grabbed Jaune by the collar, pulling him through the escape route and closing the door with a solid THUD.

* * *

 

An earthen warrior drops down the abyss. The glyphs already dispelled, it simply lands at the bottom, its near-indestructible stone armour easily absorbing the impact. It confronts the Schnee door, demanding entry.

_I BIRTH FROM FIRE BUT DO NOT BURN,_

_I STAND UP STRONG BUT DO NOT LEARN,_

_GRAINS I HAVE THAT ALL CAN SEE,_

_BUT FARMED I'M NOT AND MINED I'LL BE._

_WHAT AM I?_

The warrior pauses.

Granite, it answers.

…

The warrior enters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, if I was a White Knight (Jaune x Weiss) shipper, this would probably be one of my favourite chapters. Even without that, though, I guess it's still pretty good : P.
> 
> Next chapter's another intermission, and then after that, it'll be smooth sailing from there!
> 
> Catch ya later, all!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.


	7. Intermission - The Cakes Of Wrath (Part Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"Ruby? Are…you okay?"

"Gah! Oh, uh, sorry Pyrrha. Kinda spaced out for a second there…"

"It's fine. Are you ready to get started?"

"Sure! Just give me a minute to have a look around..."

_Talk about party at the front and business in the back! Or uh, something like that, anyway._

It was almost surreal, in a sense; after getting used to the luxury décor that was shown to the masses, the area behind the scenes was quite a shock. The walls were still a blinding white, but near everything else was a cold, clinical steel, both for ease of cleaning as well as the benefit of a clearly dependable surface to work on. There was a rectangular block in the middle which was cleverly split into three distinct sections by metal outcrops, perhaps to make it clear what was being worked on in each space. Off to the side lay two sinks, two more general work surfaces, several white plastic cupboards, some drawers...really, as far as Ruby could tell, this was about as well equipped a kitchen as anyone could want. Or at least, as much as _she_ could want.

After having discussed something quietly with Nora and Ren by the sinks, Liz whooshed over to Ruby and Pyrrha, well and truly in her element.

"It's nice, isn't it?" she commented.

"It's um...very organised!" Ruby responded neutrally. "My friend Weiss would love it here, I think."

"Yeah, she has quite the lady-boner for neatness!" Yang called over, promptly followed by a sharp "Ow!" as Blake struck her in the stomach.

"Anyway," Liz began. "I've just been around to deal with a few issues, but I think we're all sorted now. Is there anything you need before we get started?"

"What are the trays in here made of?" Pyrrha inquired.

Liz blinked in surprise.

"Good question? I'm...not entirely sure, to be honest."

"I thought they looked like stainless steel, but I didn't want to check this way if I didn't have to."

"What way do you-" Liz began, before being shortly interrupted by Pyrrha easily levitating a tray with her semblance.

"Oh."

"I believe it's martensitic stainless steel," Pyrrha evaluated, flipping the tray around.

"I see…" Liz returned, her eyes glazing over slightly. "Is, uh...is that a good thing?"

Pyrrha shrugged.

"It's magnetic, at least."

"Great…" Liz replied, slowly making her way over to the central surface. "You're...not going to drop it, are you?"

"I can stop, if you like."

"No no, it's fine!" Ruby cut in. "I've seen Pyrrha use her semblance loads of times, it'll be 'kay! If she can move a shield from ages away, it should be no trouble to lift a tray for a bit, right?"

"I suppose…"

Looking back and forth from Ruby to Liz, Pyrrha gingerly let the tray back down.

"I'll only use it when I deem it necessary, Liz."

"I suppose that’s good. So…do you have something like that too, Ruby?"

"Sure, I- wait, you got my name right?"

"I'm not forgetful _all the time_ , you know," Liz said, smiling softly. "It's just when I'm multi-tasking a lot that it tends to kick in."

"Ah, right. Well, these abilities we have are called semblances, and mine is speed! So, y'know, I can run super fast and stuff!"

"Which you aren't going to be doing in my kitchen because…?"

Ruby's face scrunched up in thought. What would Weiss say in this situation?

"It'd be...dangerous?"

Liz nodded approvingly.

"Quite right, Ruby. Now, I think it’s high time we got started, don’t you? AHEM!"

After a brief delay, everyone was facing towards Liz, although Nora still kept one eye on the delicious mound of sugar that had been laid in front of her.

"In today's class, we are going to be making a Victoria sponge cake. Is everyone familiar with the cake in question? Excellent. Now, for your convenience, I have taken the time to pre-heat the ovens and properly grease the cake tins. Does anyone know what happens if you don't do the latter?"

"Oh, I think I know this one. It gets stuck in the tin, right?" asked Yang.

"Mmhm, well done! Have you done baking before, by any chance?"

"Ha, not exactly! I do a lot of bike maintenance, that's all, so I know how important proper lubrication can be," Yang replied, ending her last line with a somewhat sultry tone.

"…right,” Liz said slowly, the subtleties of Yang's sentence being entirely lost on her. "Well, in any case, remember to do this if you happen to bake this elsewhere, okay? ...yes, Nora?"

"Well, see, I was wondering if there was some kind of recipe that we're working off, or are we just making it up as we go along like some magical baking adventure featuring Nora Valkyrie and her enthusiastic apprentice Lie Ren? Oh, that sounds awesome! Ren, Ren, you’ve got to remember that for next time!"

Liz raised a concerned eyebrow. Did this girl ever stop to breath?

"While experimentation is encouraged, I was planning to follow _this_ recipe for today," she said, reaching for the scroll in her pocket and enlarging it. "See? A friend of mine sent me it in the mail, and after trying it myself, I figured it might be a good one for beginners. Apparently he works for a company called 'Bee Bee See Good Food', whatever _that_ is. It looks nice, does it not?"

"Only three steps?" Blake asked sceptically. "That seems a bit too good to be true."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Blake-y!" Yang quickly reassured her. "She said it was for beginners, right? Not even _Jaune_ could mess this up!"

For a moment it seemed like Pyrrha was going to object, but she soon thought better of it. Yang, for her part, was almost disappointed that her statement went unchallenged.

"Whatever the case, unless there are any more questions…? No? Fantastic!" Liz exclaimed, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

"Then let the baking commence!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's the last intermission chapter...or is it? I'm considering adding in a bonus chapter especially for AO3 that closes off the 'Cakes of Wrath' set, so there may perhaps be one more. Don't worry, though; if you're just here for the main story, I'll be posting the bonus /after/ all the other stuff (including the epilogue!), so you can just sit back and relax.
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix.


	8. The Girl In White

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"Eurgh...what _is_ that smell?"

Though he somehow doubted that his senses were as keen as Weiss', even Jaune had to admit that the smell was particularly pungent. Something between rotting greenery and off seafood, it was hardly what the two students had hoped for when they had made their escape through the riddle-spewing doorway.

"Is...is that…?" Jaune began, pointing towards the unnerving environment that awaited them.

He hadn't seen many mansions in his time, even from afar, but this was one of the grandest. It reached merely two floors up, but what the building lacked in height it made up in sheer width and length. Four ancient windows peered out from this side of the mansion, so vine-covered and misted up that looking into the off-grey walls would provide more information than the glass itself. A heavily rusted gate creaked incessantly every few seconds but, as far as he could tell, there was not a breath of wind in the entire complex.

"Can you stand?"

Nodding, Jaune pulled himself up, taking yet more glances around as they walked towards the gate. Eerie black street lamps stood proudly by the remains of the perimeter wall, illuminating the area in a sickly green flame. Yet, despite the lack of actual sunlight, the snatches of grass that could be seen were still as verdant as any from the surface, almost as if they had been frozen in time. 'Unusual' didn't even begin to describe it.

"Nice place?" he attempted conversationally.

Weiss remained silent as they finally made it to the mysteriously creaking gate. Even with the ridiculous amount of rust that had been ingrained into the metal over the years, it was easy to spot the Schnee snowflake positively shimmering in the unnerving light.

"You want to know why the Schnee emblem is on here, don't you?"

Jaune looked over to Weiss, unable to decipher the odd expression on her face.

"If you're okay with telling me," he put diplomatically.

Quiet once again, Weiss walked ever closer to the gate, running a hand down the immaculate snowflake.

"I've heard rumours about it my entire life, really. The first Schnee manor, built for my grandfather all those years ago, vanishing overnight. No one knew how, why, or where it went...just that it was gone, leaving several unfortunate servants inside."

Jaune gulped.

"Do you, uh, think they're still in there?"

"It was more than seventeen years ago, and given the look of this place…well. Let's just say that finding them 'alive' would be much more frightening than finding their stone-cold corpses."

Weiss paused for a moment, frowning.

"Look, Jaune…"

"Hm?"

"Did you ever wonder why I wanted to come here?"

"Not really. I guess I just didn't think it was my place to ask."

"Well, the truth is…"

The young heiress sighed softly.

"It was never really my idea to begin with."

"What?"

"It was my father," Weiss answered sharply. "I didn't hear about it before, but apparently he'd been searching for this place for longer than I've been alive. When he finally found the location about a month ago, he wanted to send a team in to scavenge the remains, but someone stayed his hand. Instead, he asked me to go, to find the entrance to this place that could be practically anywhere in the Emerald Forest!"

"And you said yes?"

Weiss shook her head.

"Not exactly. He wanted me to go on my own, without telling any of my friends about what I was doing, and come back with what I'd found. I'm hardly a stranger to obedience, but that? That seemed a little too far."

"I-"

"But then he threatened...told me that, if I didn't go, he would cut off my funding for Beacon, for _everything_! I...I was scared, okay? What would _you_ do if someone just told you they were going to destroy your life, just like that?"

Jaune started opening his mouth to respond, but near instantly closed it again.

 _What_ would _I do? It's not like I've ever been rolling in cash or anything, but if I_ was…

"I don't know, Weiss," he admitted.

"So there I was, walking to my room that afternoon, going to find Myrtenaster and planning to set off the next morning while everyone else was none the wiser. And then..."

"...oh," Jaune murmured, realisation slowly dawning on his face.

"...there _you_ were, swatting it about like you didn't have a care in the world. Hmph."

For a moment, Jaune wasn't quite sure how to respond, carefully fitting the idea into the ever-growing jigsaw puzzle of Weiss Schnee.

"So if I hadn't broken your sword, you would have come here alone?"

"Assuming I found it at all, yes."

"In that case," Jaune began, a little courage beginning to form in his heart. "I don't regret what I did, and I'd do it again, too!"

Weiss blinked.

"Excuse me?!"

"Look, it's bad enough that just the two of us are down here, right? I mean, jeez, this place gives me the creeps like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't leave you to confront all this stuff on your own, could I?"

"What? Because I'm a girl?" Weiss challenged.

"No, because you're my _friend_!"

"...what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...friends don't leave friends to deal with this stuff by themselves. From what I've heard about that thing with Blake a while back, you know enough about that already. If my mistake means that you aren't stuck in this hole in the ground, alone, then I'd do it again, every time."

The heiress smiled despite herself, turning back to face the gate.

"You're a dork sometimes, Jaune."

"Buuuut…?"

"No buts, you're just a dork. Now come on, let's get going!"

Jaune watched as Weiss pushed the rusted metal open with ease, happy to see that she had returned to her usual self.

After all, with all this creepy stuff going on, you had to find _something_ to be happy about.

* * *

The earthen warrior makes his way to the gate, surveying the area like a hawk on the hunt. It was certain that they had passed through here already, but for some reason, the gate was closed. A question springs to its mind.

_Did the gate close to keep me out, or to keep those two in?_

The earthen warrior draws its weapon, effortlessly smashing through the gate like so much glass.

* * *

 

"Gah! What the hell was that?!" Jaune yelped in surprise.

Due to the incredible scale of the complex, it had taken them almost a minute to get from the main gate to the mansion's double doors, monstrous oak constructs with yet more Schnee logos inscribed upon them. However, when the dynamic duo finally reached the doors, the rusted old gate had slammed shut behind them with a heavy CLANK.

"Probably just the wind," Weiss dismissed offhandedly.

"But there isn't any w-"

"Probably. Just. The wind. Jaune," she repeated through gritted teeth.

"Okay, okay, I get it! So, uh," he paused, looking the doors up and down. "These things don't need a key, do they?"

EEEEEEEEEEEK

"...apparently not!" he exclaimed anxiously.

"Oh, shush. If there really _is_ something in there that's messing with us, you quaking in your boots is only getting them exactly what they want!"

"I-I guess you're right. Lead on, then?"

_Dust, this is going to be bad, isn't it? It'll be really dark, full of skeletons and-_

"...huh. Gotta admit, wasn't really expecting this one."

From where he was stood, Jaune could very clearly see an enormous hallway stretching to his left and right, leading off into three distinct doors. The ones on each end were painted a dark blue, contrasting with the icy blue of the walls and white marble of the floor. Meanwhile, the door right in front of him was mostly made of perfectly transparent glass, with the remains of the frame bearing a welcoming cream colour.

"It _is_ somewhat odd," Weiss admitted.

"Are those candles on the walls, too?"

"Candelabras, you mean."

"Yeah, those...and they've got a proper orange flame rather than that green thing from the lamp posts."

"Mmhm."

"Any idea why?"

"Obviously they did it _just_ to annoy you, Jaune," Weiss replied dryly.

"I'm curious, not annoyed!"

"And frightened?"

"Oh yes, definitely frightened."

The strange pair tried to peer through the glass in the door but, as soon as they attempted to look closer, some kind of otherworldly frost began seeping through it, despite the relative warmth of the mansion.

"That...doesn't normally happen, does it?"

Weiss shook her head.

"I thought as much," Jaune grumbled quietly. "Even the _doors_ don't seem right here…"

"Just keep your wits about you, Jaune...maybe draw your sword, too?"

He nodded, readying Crocea Mors for potential combat.

"Right…" Weiss breathed. "Let's get this over with."

Pushing open the icy door, Weiss and Jaune were greeted with yet more unnervingly perfect scenery. Bookcases upon bookcases took up nearly all the space along the walls, broken only by the odd ornate cupboard, window or the grand fireplace, the flame of which seemed to burn with no trace of fuel. In the middle of the room, meanwhile, stood an expensive mahogany table, surrounded by around eight chairs and bearing several bowls of mixed fruit.

_I guess I'll put my shield away since, somehow, I don't think the fruit bowl's going to be attacking me any time soon._

"This definitely reminds me of my grandfather's room back home...he loved books with a passion, you know."

As Weiss began cautiously browsing the shelves, Jaune turned his attention to the food on the table. From what he had found out about the manor so far, he _knew_ that this couldn't be real...but then again, he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

"Books on business, books on economics... _The Wayfarer's Guide to Dust_? Maybe he had that one when he was younger."

"Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think I could eat any of this fruit?"

Weiss' delicate form snapped around, her eyebrows lowered threateningly.

"Are you serious?! Do you have _any idea_ how long this place has been down here? Maybe it _looks_ good, but if it's even there at all, it'll be rotten to the core!"

"But I'm hungr- OW!"

"Eat that."

"Did...did you just throw an _apple_ at me?"

"I don't know, did I?"

"Where did you get it from? You don't have any bags! Or _pockets_! ...I think."

"Ask yourself, Jaune; do you _really_ want to know the answer to that?"

"...maybe?"

"Well that's too bad, because I'm not telling you. Now, eat your apple and try not to get into any trouble, okay?"

As Weiss turned back to her book searching, Jaune began morosely eating the lovely red apple he had been passed, taking a look around all the while. A set of windows resided comfortably with the cupboards and bookcases on two of the walls, giving a glimpse into what was through the other doorways they hadn't took yet. The windows to his left weren't terribly interesting, apparently showing a heavily dilapidated dust elevator, perhaps the only thing in this place that was visibly broken. In the opposite windows, however...

_Jaune Jaune Jaune Jaune Jaune Jaune Jaune Jaune_

_Jaune Jaune Jaune Jaune_

_JAUNE JAUNE JAUNE_

_JAUNE JAUNE_

_JAUNE_

A thick fog...it must have been what had clouded up the windows from the front. And it…

_JAUNE JAUNE_

_JAUNE_

_JAUNE JAUNE_

_jaune_

...it was calling his name.

Tock. Tock. Tock. Inch by inch, step by step, Jaune was drawing ever closer to the door, though he hardly remembered deciding to walk there. He tried to scream, to call to Weiss for help, but his voice would no longer obey him. Positively shambling now, the body of Jaune had finally made it to the ominous entrance, the boy's mind roaring as its will was refused time and time again.

"Well that's not very- Jaune?!" Weiss yelled as his situation finally came to her attention. "Get away from that door, now!"

Slowly, like a toddler who had just learned how to do it, Jaune's body attempted to pull the lever handle, shaking profusely as he continued to rebel against the hostile presence.

"Jaune, snap out of it!" Weiss ordered, using both of her arms in an attempt to pull him away from the door...but as soon as she tried touching him, a jolt of electricity ran right through her, making her let go out of instinct. Taking the opportunity, the force that was controlling Jaune's body surged forward, pulling the door handle down with as much force as it could muster.

CRACK

The fog poured in with the ferocity of a waterfall, making everything it touched wither and fade. The fruit on the table, once plump and vibrant, had curled up and returned to rot. The case upon case of books, seemingly in as good a condition as one could hope for, revealed their state of decay, the ancient covers laboriously falling to the ground.

"J-Jaune!" Weiss managed between coughing fits. "C-come back!"

Yet, despite her shrill calls, the boy continued shambling deeper into the poisonous fog, and Weiss had little choice but to evacuate the area, lest she be met with the same fate. Looking around desperately, she burst through the door that apparently lead to the disused dust elevator, closing it behind her with a solid WHAM.

She was safe. The fog couldn't come through the door.

Knowing that she couldn't take the elevator, Weiss glanced to her right, spotting a beautiful spiral staircase.

_I guess the only way is up…_

* * *

 

_White. Dark white. Blinding. No sight. Deathly. Toxic. No air. Can't breathe. Can't breathe! CAN'T-_

_A different white. A blue white. Familiar. Friend…_

"Jaune Arc?"

_Blue white makes the dark white go away. Blue white feels like…_

"I've heard a lot about you."

_I...I can think again. Who…?_

Surrounded by a brilliant ice-blue light, the girl looked out at him with curious eyes. Eyes which, he couldn't help but notice, weren't quite there to begin with.

"Who are you?"

"Me?"

The girl smiled softly, merely accentuating the likeness she held to Weiss.

"I'm just the girl who died."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps it's because I don't make many forays into the light horror genre, but this was one of my favourite chapters to write. Hope you like it!


	9. Where The White Mist Grows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

After a short trip up the spiral staircase, Weiss found herself on what she presumed to be the second floor, although she certainly couldn't see much of it at the moment. For whatever reason, the stairs had lead up to a tiny room with only one door, featuring the same dark blue as the ones from downstairs.

_Note to self: if I ever find the architect who made this, I'm going to ask them what the hell they were thinking at the time. Politely._

Turning the doorknob, Weiss pushed her way into the next room, noting that it was some kind of long, poorly-lit hallway. The only reason she could see anything at all was thanks to a small lamp hanging off yet another spiral staircase, bearing the same unfortunate green flame from outside of the manor.

_Wait...doesn't this only go two floors up? Why is there another staircase?_

Deciding that the stairs were far too suspicious to take at the moment, Weiss instead decided to inspect what other features the hall had to offer; specifically, yet more doors. The one closest to her was green, then red, then a ridiculous bright pink...oh, and one more at the end which bore a slightly dirty lavatory sign.

_Lovely. At least I know where to go if I need to clean myself up, assuming the plumbing even works anymore. Let's try green first…_

CRK CRK. Locked.

_Hm…odd. Perhaps the key is in another room?_

Next came the red room which, from what Weiss could tell, was a quintessential boys' bedroom. The walls were light grey, the likely marble floor was covered up by an enormous light blue rug, and a double bed with cartoonish covers overlooked the gardens through an ornate window. Otherwise, the room was oddly bare.

Well, except for the grotesque skeleton spread across the bed, but Weiss was trying not to think about that.

"Dust…" she cursed, hanging onto the door to help support her somewhat jellified legs. While its clothing was torn in some places, the skeleton nevertheless gave signs of being a Schnee servant, gripping in its hands a circular brass keyring. From the looks of it, the green room's key had found itself here, safeguarded by the skeletal remains of its former owner.

"Um...maybe I'll come back for that later…" she told herself, closing the door as softly as she could. One room left.

_By dust this room is pink!_

The door colour had not lied, that much was clear. Absolutely everything in the bedroom was pink, from the walls, floor, bed...even to the multitude of stuffed toys strewn around, representing an assortment of crude farmyard animals. Walking further in, Weiss ran her hand along the bed's sheets, finding them to be made of incredibly fine silk. Strange...while there were certainly a lot of male Schnee members who could have occupied the bedroom next door, the previous occupant of this one was a little harder to track down. A guest room, perhaps? Hm, no, that didn't seem right somehow…

_...what's that silvery glint in the corner?_

Encouraged by the lack of a corpse this time, the heiress weaved her way around the various stuffed toys until she reached her prize; an elegant silver rapier, its guard housing dust canisters of various colors. In fact, to the untrained eye, it looked a lot like-

_Myrtenaster?_

Picking the sword up, Weiss found that it wasn't _quite_ like the weapon belted to her waist. The blade was a little shorter, seeming more like a _foil_ than the _épée_ Myrtenaster drew inspiration from. Still, the lacking blade was made up for in a more complex dust exhaust port, apparently allowing for two types of dust to be expelled rather than one. Miraculously, the weapon's six dust canisters were all full to the brim, although their larger size to Myrtenaster's meant that swapping them around would be unlikely to bear any fruit.

Swish swish swish.

_It will do for now, I suppose. Hm...I wonder if this could pick up those keys from before?_

Shivering a little, Weiss strode cautiously back into the red room, forcing herself to look back to the corpse that...wasn't there?

_Either someone's playing a cruel trick on me, or that skeleton has moved. Possibly both. Either way, the keys have gone, so I'll just-_

CREAK CREAK. Ksssssssss. CREAK CREAK. Kssssssss.

_...on three, I'm turning around. One-_

_-three, three!_

Acting on instinct, Weiss pirouetted and launched a furious kick, sending the figure flying into the door as it let out a blood-curling screech.

_By dust, how does something with no vocal chords make such a horrific noise?!_

With a bad taste in her mouth, Weiss took a closer look at the creature. Bones linked into bones, some cracked, some whole, yet not a single muscle in-sight. The malevolent white mist that had so haunted the first floor boiled beneath it, locked inside through the same magic that kept it animate, perhaps.

_It doesn't look particularly intelligent, and I doubt it could do much without a weapon, but...best to be cautious._

As it turned out, Weiss' concerns were soon justified. While several of the bones had been damaged in their collision with the hardy wooden door, a disconcerting hissing eased out as they began repairing themselves, fixing the various cracks and chips at an alarming rate.

_If I destroy it, that white mist might come out again…but on the other hand, if I leave it, it's liable to try and kill me when I'm not paying attention. Caught between a bone and a hard place…_

Seeing that the skeleton had once again become fully functional, Weiss made her decision. Her movements projecting hours of practice, she extended the new blade towards her foe, pulling the trigger with a delicate finger. A high-pitched whistling sound blared as balls of fire and ice surged forward, joining together into a shining purple sphere. Upon making contact with the skeleton, its skull began to melt, sending another horrific scream echoing through the house. Soon enough, the screaming stopped completely, and all that remained was a tiny off-white puddle.

_Effective, if a bit loud. Good work, Myrtenaster 2.0, good work._

Unfortunately, Weiss' inner celebrations were short-lived. Upon exiting the creepy room, she immediately spotted another skeleton at the top of the first floor staircase, flanked by the poisonous white mist.

_It must have opened the door! Dust, what to do, what to do?!_

Just as it had been downstairs, there was only way to go: up. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Weiss zoomed up the spiral staircase, tumbling through the door at the top and closing it behind her without a second thought.

"Need to...work on my...stamina..." she huffed, wiping her brow with her weaponless hand. She'd had quite enough of new rooms today, and thankfully, this seemed to be the last one. The floor she sat on was a checkered black and white tile, a stark contrast to the rest of the manor's pure white marble. The walls, meanwhile, were dripping with some kind of oily black liquid which, unfortunately, she had managed to get on her forehead when trying to clear off the sweat. As for furniture, there only seemed to be a single item in the entire room, despite its apparent enormity.

"A mirror?"

* * *

"...the one who died?" Jaune echoed in disbelief.

"Yes, Jaune. I died quite a long time ago, in fact; perhaps longer than you have lived."

"And you've been stuck here all this time?"

"I 'sleep' sometimes...let my mind drift until something happens. I haven't slept recently, though."

"Because a lot of things have been happening?"

"Exactly!" the girl confirmed happily, tilting her head to the side, "And most of them were good, even. In particular, a charming warrior has been keeping me company over the past few days, telling me stories…some of them concerning you.”

"Me?"

"Yes, you. He seems to view you as a powerful combatant, primarily, although perhaps also as a friend or rival. He never was particularly clear on the subject."

"Do you know his name?"

"No…" she replied, frowning. "He seems ashamed of it, for some reason, so he requested I call him by a nickname.”

THUMP THUMP THUMP. Something heavy was approaching the chamber.

"I-is that…?"

"Mmhm, that's him!" the girl announced cheerily. "My Spade is coming to see me! And you, perhaps. We'll soon find out!"

The thumping stopped for a moment as something ducked into the 'entrance' to the chamber, the door having been torn off many moons ago. The figure was very tall, perhaps a good six inches taller than Jaune, but it nonetheless had a definitive human shape. However, not a single distinguishing feature could be seen, as the figure was covered head to toe in some form of rock-based armour, including the head. Curiously, the helmet didn't have any holes for air, so Jaune wasn't quite sure how this thing was meant to breathe... _if_ it breathed. Wordlessly, the figure made its way over to the ghost girl's side, kneeling down in respect.

"Spade!" she yelled loudly, 'clapping' her hands in excitement. "You made it! But….aren’t you a bit early?"

"...Bianca," Spade's gravelly voice uttered, resting an enormous blunt weapon down on the ground. "The mist returns."

Jaune glanced back quickly, shivering as the white substance continued to press against whatever was keeping it at bay.

"What is that stuff?"

"Dangerous," Spade answered curtly. "Emitted by the manor. Should've killed you."

"So why didn't it?"

Spade and Bianca shared a look.

"I don't really know…" Bianca admitted. "You walked in here, basically half-dead from the mist, and I just kind of...kept it away from you for a bit. Don't you remember?"

Jaune shook his head.

"How strange...well, no matter. You're safe now, and Spade will be happy to escort you out of the manor, won't you, Spade?"

"Mmhm."

"But...I can't leave yet! Weiss might need my help!"

Bianca tilted her head once again.

"Weiss? Weiss Schnee?"

"...yes?"

Bianca paused for a moment, 'feeling' for something in the air.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

A horrible feeling began forming in his gut.

"For what?”

* * *

It was a deceptively simple little structure, devoid of the fancy embellishments present throughout the manor, but somehow it had an aura of value, so to speak. Laying her weapon down, Weiss just couldn't resist clearing the dust off of the mirror's surface, marvelling as her reflection stared back at her, just as she stared into it.

"Mirror, tell me something…" Weiss chanted softly. "Tell me who's the loneliest...of all…"

A curious thumping rumbled through the walls but, somehow, Weiss didn't hear it. _Her_ attention was held by another.

"Come now. You shouldn’t ask a question when you already know the answer. Isn’t that right…Weiss Schnee?”

_The mirror has her now, Jaune._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never actually played Resident Evil, but I was told that this chapter had that kind of vibe to it. Mission success, I guess?
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix


	10. The Mirror Of Weiss Schnee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"What the hell are you?!"

At first it had been a sort of semi-liquid creature, as if someone had melted the mirror's glass and the reflective blob before her was all that remained. In a matter of seconds, however, the situation became much, much worse. The glass began to shift, slowly morphing into an all too familiar shape. Pale skin, an elegant coat, graceful white hair tied up in a ponytail…

"I'm your reflection," the creature stated, its cold gaze unblinking. "I'm everything you are, everything you were, and everything you will be."

Having backed away from the reflection before it took shape, Weiss was able to safely equip Myrtenaster 2.0, now pointing it menacingly at the creature from the mirror.

"Then if you're me, you know I won't hesitate to cut you down!"

The reflection let out a sinister chuckle, albeit in Weiss' own voice. Disconcerting didn't even begin to cover it.

"Oh, I know you'll try...but you can no more defeat me than you can defeat yourself. Yet, by all means, use your new sword to cut me down. Daddy would like that, wouldn't he?"

Weiss roared, using her semblance to launch a lightning fast lunge, but as the blade made contact, the reflection merely melted once more, merging again right behind her.

"Now now, is that how you were taught to fight? You're displaying about as much control as that dolt Ruby Rose."

"Shut up!" Weiss sputtered angrily. "Ruby's my friend, and I won't have you say such things about her!"

"I am only stating how you feel. Is violence against me really going to change that?"

Weiss held her rapier in two hands, slashing it downwards as she spun around. Unfortunately, the reflection merely repeated its previous trick, its mischievous smile going from ear to ear.

"You have dust, you know. If you really wish to slay me, I would recommend you stop fighting like a peasant and start utilising your assets."

Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Those are my father's words, not mine!"

"And who’s to say there’s a difference?”

"I...perhaps I was once like him, focused on nothing but personal wealth and social standing-"

"So you admit it?" the reflection interrupted triumphantly.

"I'm not done! The only reason I was like that was because he raised me that way! Once I escaped to Beacon, I met people, _real_ people...I made friends!"

"Friends you so swiftly abandoned when your father clapped his hands? Truly they have changed your character for the better."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Weiss screamed, letting her anger flow through her as she hit the trigger like a hammer. A brilliant light red sphere zoomed out from the blade, hitting the reflection square in the stomach.

"Oh dear. It seems that _someone_ has forgotten a mirror’s purpose-"

The room rumbled noisily as 'Weiss' began turning the same colour as the dust it had absorbed, pointing an imperious finger at its human counterpart.

"-reflection!"

A thin beam of light shot out of the creature at a truly ridiculous speed; it was only by a little guesswork from its stance that Weiss managed to duck under it before the beam even fired. Looking back, she couldn’t help but cringe at the singed crater the attack had left, wondering whether her aura would really have withstood it if she hadn't dodged in time.

"Please, while a powerful attack, it would have by no means been your end. I merely wished to teach you a lesson in the futility of attacking yourself."

Weiss returned her gaze to the reflection, running through a few breathing exercises to calm herself down. Anger had almost got her killed, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"What do you wish of me?"

The reflection gave a haughty look.

"And finally we ask the right question...but are you sure you wish to know the answer?"

"You tell me, 'Weiss'."

"Hmph, of _course_ you do. Curiosity and pride killed the cat, and you are unfortunate enough to have both in plenty. What I want, you see, is for you to accept that which you fear the most."

"How informative and not at all cryptic. I'll be sure to direct my relatives here for their own trips of personal discovery and self-loathing."

"Cute. While you deflect my statement with your usual sarcasm, you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Then pretend you're talking to someone who's not me to save me a few centuries."

"You are becoming your father and your friends hate you but don't have the guts to tell you so. Your two greatest fears, no?"

Weiss grunted.

"More like phobias…"

"Superstitious and unfounded, are they? Then perhaps you'd like to explain why, when having been told about the event weeks in advance, you cancelled your day in Vale when your father finally cracked the whip?"

"You know why!"

"Perhaps I do, but why not say it out loud to humor me?"

"...my father threatened to cut off my funding and withdraw me from Beacon. Happy?"

"Yes, but you miss the point: how do these two statements connect? How does this occurrence become your reason for action?"

"Because if he did, then I'd have to leave my friends behind and go back to...eurgh, I don't even want to say it!"

"But is that because you think your friends will miss you, or you will miss your friends?"

"I-I don't know! Both!"

"Is that really true?"

"...yes."

"Pathetic. You distrust your father for his abhorrent business practices, in which he schemes and stabs his allies in the back, yet here you are, doing the same. Admit it, you are no different than him."

"N-no, that's not..."

The heiress fell to her knees, her eyes glued to the floor.

_I-is it really true? Am I just as self-centered as my father? Ruby, Blake, Yang...Jaune...do they hate me for it, and are only not saying so because they don't want to get in trouble?_

_I don't know anymore…_

While Weiss had been having the intense discussion with her reflection, her outfit had slowly become more and more black...not that she had been paying enough attention to notice. The tar-like liquid, so prevalent on the walls of the room, was now dripping from the ceiling, soaking deeper and deeper into her clothing.

"Admit it!" the reflection barked, pulling the poor girl up to face height with superhuman strength.

"I-I…"

Drip drip drip.

"I'm…"

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"I'm just like…"

Drip drip.

"My…"

"Fathe-"

But before Weiss could finish her sentence, an enormous CRASH shook the very foundations of the building. Turning to its source, she saw that a large circular hole had been bashed through the floor, with some kind of stone golem standing beside it.

"Finish it!" the reflection cried, desperation creeping into its voice for the first time, but Weiss had long since disregarded it. Her attention was on the stone warrior, who had now turned, its head directed towards the lifeless frame of the mirror.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" the reflection hissed, its form slowly degenerating back into the vague blob. The warrior, for its part, didn't care. It readied its blunt weapon, turning its gaze to Weiss.

"Heiress?" it- _his_ gravelly voice boomed.

"Y-yes?"

He raised the weapon up high, paying no heed to the desperate screams of the quickly reforming reflection.

"Don't look."

Just as the creature assumed the warrior's own form, he brought his weapon down like a judge's gavel, sending it through the mirror's frame like so much _papier mâché_. Unable to resist glancing towards where the mirror had once been, Weiss instantly regretted her decision. The transparent blob convulsed and twisted, producing a horrific noise akin to a thousand gears grinding at once as it slowly evaporated into the atmosphere. As it went up, fragments of herself, the warrior and some other person she didn't recognise could be seen in its pieces, all screaming for help. Seconds passed.

"...it's gone?" Weiss asked anxiously.

The warrior merely nodded, extending an armoured hand to help pick her up. Accepting the assistance, Weiss got back to her feet, re-equipping her not-so-trusty Myrtenaster 2.0 in the process.

The pair looked up…

* * *

"I can't just sit here! Weiss is in trouble! What if she needs me help?!"

"I assure you, Jaune, that Spade has the situation under control. He'll be back down with your friend very soon, you'll see!"

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"...what's that?" Jaune asked anxiously.

"Hm? Oh, it's just Spade walking around."

"No, not that! There's something else, something...softer?"

Bianca stopped for a moment, trying her hardest to pinpoint the sound. There was the thumping, and…

"Oh...oh no."

* * *

It was absolutely grotesque. A kind of...Grimm heart. A monster...and it was _stuck to the ceiling._

"What is that thing?!" Weiss exclaimed.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Alice..." the warrior replied.

Thu-thump.

"Queen of Hearts." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've noticed the pattern of the chapter titles, then I'll admit that this one is a bit of a stretch. But shh, don't tell anyone : P .
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix


	11. Alice In Sunderland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

_Damn it! I can't take it anymore! I need to go up there and help!_

_What would you even do, huh? If Weiss and Spade can’t deal with it, why would_ you _make a difference?_

_Whether I can help or not, I can't just leave them to fight alone!_

_All you're going to do is get yourself killed!_

Jaune's thoughts continued to attack each other as the raucous noises from upstairs only got louder and more difficult to ignore. Bianca, meanwhile, had curled up into a foetal position, muttering madly to herself…

"I'm going to disappear, I'm going to disappear, I'm going to-"

"Bianca!"

_It doesn't look like she's getting up, but at least she's not repeating herself anymore._

"...what do you mean you're going to disappear?" Jaune asked finally, walking closer to the brilliant ice-blue light of the aura font and, by extension, Bianca herself.

"D-don't come any closer!" she stuttered, shivering incessantly as Jaune stopped in his tracks.

Just as he had seen Spade do earlier, he dropped to one knee, looking down to the ground in respect.

"Please, Bianca," Jaune begged. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Yet more worrying sounds echoed from the upper floors.

"...you're going to take it, aren't you?" she uttered, her voice full of fear.

"Take what?"

Bianca shook as she gestured to the aura font.

"I...don't understand," Jaune said honestly. "That's natural aura, isn't it? I wouldn't know how to take it if I tried."

"It's not _you_!" she suddenly snapped, standing upright in a flash, "It's your weapon! Can't you feel it?"

Jaune glanced curiously down to Crocea Mors but, try as he might, there didn't seem to be anything special about it. There rarely was.

"It's just a sword and shield, isn't it?"

"...you don't know what that is, do you?" Bianca asked, frowning heavily.

"Well...kind of? All I really know is that it was used by my great-great-grandfather in the war. Isn't that all there is to it?"

Bianca shook her head.

"What happened in the war, Jaune? What was it about?"

"It was a mass effort to push the Grimm back, to defend the bastions of civilisation that remain today and make Remnant a safer place for everyone," Jaune reeled off dutifully, looking a little embarrassed for a moment. "Um, my dad used to tell me about it all the time, so it's one of the only bits of history I know a lot about."

"In that case, it shouldn't surprise you that there were a few weapons in that period that were specifically designed to fight Grimm: Grimm Slayers, they were called."

Jaune's eyes widened.

"Crocea Mors is a Grimm Slayer?!"

"No, Jaune, it's a whisk. _Of course it's a Grimm slayer!_ "

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Jaune exclaimed hastily. "Jeez, you're really reminding me of Weiss right now…"

"Well _excuse me_ if my niece and I show some similarities under pressure!"

Jaune blinked.

"Wuh-"

"Look, just ask Spade about it later, okay? I think we've got bigger things to deal with right now."

"Yeah...you're right."

Jaune finally lifted himself off the floor, quickly grabbing Crocea Mors on his way up. However, as he stepped towards the exit, he felt a strange force trying to pull his weapon away.

"...you can't leave, can you?"

He pushed himself as hard as he could, but despite his best efforts, his sword and shield weren't going anywhere fast.

"Why...is it...doing this?" Jaune huffed, continuing to pull on Crocea Mors.

"Eurgh!" Bianca cried in frustration. "How can you not feel it?! It's so obvious!"

"I don't know...what you're talking...about!"

"Oh for...it's aura magnetism, you dunce! Your weapon is filled with personal aura and the font is filled with wild aura! You can't move it because the two are attracted to each other!"

After a moment, Jaune stopped his futile efforts to move Crocea Mors and, in fact, found that it stayed in mid-air when he let it go.

_It wants to join with the aura font...which would mean…_

"So if I took it to the font, the wild aura would be absorbed?"

"Stolen," Bianca corrected.

"Stolen, then. What would that actually do?"

Bianca sighed heavily.

"Your weapon's system would get a jump-start, allowing it to assume its Grimm Slayer form."

"But...wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Not for me…" Bianca muttered bitterly.

Slowly but surely, the rusty cogs in Jaune’s head began to turn.

" _I'm going to disappear"...stealing the aura...absorbing it…_

" _I'm the girl who died."_

"You're still here because of the aura font...and if I take it, you'll die? ...for good?"

She nodded sadly.

"But if I don't take it, Weiss and Spade will die instead!"

"You don't know that!"

As if to punctuate Jaune's point, another crash rocked the very foundations of the manor.

"Maybe _I_ don't…" he admitted, inching closer until he was face to face with Bianca.

"...but I think _you_ do."

Bianca bit her lip.

* * *

Thu-thump. Thu-thump.

It wasn't in the shape of a biological heart, or at least, not a human one. Instead, for whatever reason, Alice had assumed the form of a typical 'love heart', with a few key differences. First, in the center of the heart was some kind of pulsing gold light, surrounded by the white exoskeleton so common in almost all forms of Grimm.

_I called her Alice. She was of a very strange variety of Grimm; while other types eat foliage or meat, her kind subsisted on a very different kind of nutrient...emotions._

On the outside of its deep red shape were dark purple cracks, cracks that seemed to connect into the jet black tentacles that were producing the dripping substance that had so soaked Weiss' attire.

_When I was alive, she was small and weak, easily cleaned out by an experienced hunter or huntress...but no one did. No one even noticed as she cleverly implanted herself in the manor's forbidden room, somehow knowing that she wouldn’t be discovered before she was grown._

However, these tentacles didn't just go through the ceiling. Looking closer, Weiss found that the black appendages ran through the walls, the floor...they were just so minute that you wouldn't know what to look for unless you already knew about them.

And by then it was far, far too late.

_After however many years, it was time for the manor to receive its judgement. A strange white mist began pouring out of the forbidden room, engulfing the entire manor in a blanket of the coldest poison. It seemed the emotions she most craved were those given off just before a being's death._

"What's it doing?"

_I was down in the basement at the time, searching desperately for the aura font that I had felt for so many years, but just couldn't see...I didn't know what was happening until it was too late._

"In about five minutes? Killing you. Slowly."

_But while I stood there choking on the mist, my dormant semblance activated itself. Utilising the aura font, I teleported the entire manor away from civilisation, praying that no more would stumble into it and suffer Alice's wrath._

"Me? Why not you?"

"Helmet filters out the mist it'll make."

Weiss went to dive through the hole Spade had made on the way up, but as much as it looked like an opening, her prone form hit something solid and slippery.

_I guess being so close to so much natural aura must have been why I didn't fade away, but then, neither could I leave. I was bound to the font, knowing I faced oblivion if it was ever plundered._

"T-this isn't possible!"

"Alice isn't going to let you leave. She fixed the hole."

"B-but-"

"It's her semblance."

_So I slept, knowing that I must wake up to warn away anyone who tried to enter. Alice wasn't some ordinary Grimm anymore; she was barely something that could be fought at all. She was death itself, and I was her gatekeeper…but I failed in that regard, didn't I?_

"Semblance? It's a Grimm! Grimm don't have aura!"

"It's not hers; she's using the aura of the font."

_Spade entered, and somehow, his semblance made him immune to Alice's mist. After a while of exploring, he found me, swearing that he would visit as much as he could and would try and protect anyone who entered the manor._

"So that's it? I'm just going to die?"

_If I know him, he'll be trying to save your friend even now._

Spade grunted, raising his weapon.

"Not if we kill her first."

_But they can't, not as she is now. They would need a Grimm Slayer to even stand a chance._

Spade roared as he conjured an enormous boulder from thin air, launching it with considerable force right into Alice. The projectile merely bounced off her, being repelled by some kind of force field that enveloped her core.

_So, Jaune…_

_Are you willing to kill one to save another?_

"I…" Jaune started but, unfortunately, his words had failed him. This was a moral conundrum and a half, being essentially a choice between two bittersweet outcomes.

"It's not as easy as it seemed, is it?"

"It was never easy. I don't _want_ to make you disappear, it's just…"

"It's just what?"

Jaune paused for a moment, deep in thought. He would need to convince himself before he could convince Bianca, after all.

"Well...let me ask _you_ something, Bianca. Would you let another die so you could live?"

"W-what? I'm the victim here!"

“Maybe you are, but I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want to make you disappear, but neither do I want to cause the death of my friend, even if it’s through inaction. So it's up to you. Do you want to 'live' while she dies to Alice, the very thing you said you would protect people from?"

"I…"

"She never wanted to come to the manor in the first place! Her father, who I’m guessing is your brother or something, pretty much blackmailed her into coming, threatening to take everything away until she agreed. And now she's going to die here, all for her father’s mistakes.”

"It wasn't my fault I died, either! Life isn't fair!"

"No, it isn't, but while you would be stuck here tied to this font, Weiss could be out there in the real world, making it better...making amends. She has a life to live; all you have is a long death.”

Bianca dropped to her knees, her head in her hands.

"You're...that's not-"

"It's up to you, Bianca. Her life, or death, is yours to decide."

There was a moment of silence as the dead girl agonised over the decision, twisting this way and that. Finally, after almost a minute, she was still.

"...do you think there's something after death, Jaune?"

Jaune looked up to the ceiling.

"I don't know. Some say you get to meet all of your loved ones in some cloudy place in the sky. Others say you drift into nothingness. All I know is that death is relief for those who have lived a tortured life...or a tortured death, I guess."

"Would I get to see Spade there someday?"

"He seems determined. For a guy like him, I doubt even death's going to get in the way of finding you."

"...promise me, Jaune."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise that you'll tell him I love him and that, if he and I were alive at the same time, I would have married him one day."

"Maybe you still will, in the next life."

"Yeah…"

Another short pause.

"Go, Jaune...save your friend."

"Thank you, Bianca. I'll never forget you."

Crocea Mors firmly in hand, Jaune strode towards the blinding aura font, courage burning deep in his heart. Perhaps he wouldn't survive this. After all, it was said that those who wielded Grimm Slayers paid a great price for their power. He didn't care. He had promised to help Weiss and, in his own head at least, get her back safe and sound.

_Pyrrha…if I don't make it…_

"Goodbye..." Bianca said weakly.

Jaune plunged his sword into the font, screaming as the wild aura coursed through his veins.

* * *

It was no use. After minutes upon minutes of launching everything from rocks to dust to the weapons themselves, Alice hadn’t even suffered a scratch.

"...I'm really going to die here, aren't I?" Weiss uttered sadly. She didn't even have the energy to cry. Spade, for his part, kept trying to hurt Alice, desperate to at least do _something_. But nothing worked. This was the end.

_I can only hope Jaune made it out...but he went into that mist, didn't he? So I managed to get both of us killed, really...heh. I guess that’s why Ruby was made leader. She'd have some kind of plan to get out of this. She's always coming up with crazy ideas that somehow save the day. Dust, I miss that dolt right now…_

A cursed hissing noise made its way around the room as the deadly white mist pumped industriously out of Alice's tentacles.

_I miss all of those idiots...pity they won't miss me…_

"Spade?"

No response.

"...thank you."

Despite having accepted her fate, Weiss couldn't help but hold her breath.

_Goodbye…life was fun while it lasted, I guess…_

"Weiss!"

Whipping her head to the sound's source, Weiss's eyes widened as she watched the implacable door be sliced to pieces by…by…

_Jaune?!_

While his eyes were covered by a blinding blue light, there was no doubt in her mind that this really was Jaune Arc, despite the makeover. Even his drab sword and shield had undergone quite the transformation. The sword had turned a glittery yellow hue, pulsing silvery lines swirling up its surface as it relished in its own aura. The shield, too, had turned yellow, while the arc upon it assumed the same pulsing silver that surged through the sword.

"Crocea Eversor!" the blonde boy barked, raising the shield portion high in the air.

"Protect!"

Weiss gasped in amazement as a transparent hexagonal shield formed around her and Spade, effortlessly repelling the poisonous mist away.

"Spade, Weiss, prepare to fire!"

Jaune discarded the shield, grabbing the longsword in two hands as he pointed it directly towards Alice. Weiss could have sworn she heard a female voice roar a battlecry as a beam of yellow light shone out of Jaune's blade, striking the monstrosity right in the center. It screamed horrifically, but Jaune refused to back down.

"Now! Give it all you've got!"

Brandishing what little dust she had left in Myrtenaster 2.0, Weiss rapidly launched innumerable balls of elemental dust towards Alice, grinning as the creature continued to scream. But even as the cracks started to widen, the wounds repaired themselves in an instant.

"It's not working!" Weiss exclaimed. "We need to get in close! But how…?"

Jaune glanced between his party members, a plan quickly forming.

"Weiss, do you have enough dust to propel yourself up to it?"

She shook her head.

"Not to that height."

"It doesn't need to be. What if Spade sent you upwards and you were just keeping it going? Would that work?"

"I...think so. If I can hit it in the right spot, at least."

"I know you will. Now go! I don't know how long I can keep this up!"

Seeing that Spade had already got into position, Weiss nodded that she was ready, bracing for impact as the man's enormous mace crashed into the ground she stood on, sending her flying upwards. Having performed the stunt many times before, it was easy for Weiss to use her semblance to keep her going, looking like a white missile as she was propelled towards Alice.

"I...I can't hold on!" Jaune exclaimed. "Five seconds!"

Weiss increased her dust output, spinning in the air so that Myrtenaster 2.0 was pointed squarely towards the glowing gold point in Alice's center.

"Four!"

_Just a little more..._

"Three!"

_Almost…_

"Two!"

_...there!_

"One!"

_...bullseye._

Of course, it was never going to be that simple. As Alice's death throes reverberated through the building, it was very clear that it was beginning to fall apart. But before Weiss could react further, Spade had grabbed the now unconscious Jaune, beckoning to her as he shot straight through one of the walls out into the garden. Using the very last of her dust reserves, Weiss zoomed out after him, sputtering as she unceremoniously landed in a patch of rotten grass. From the safety of the garden, it was almost a little sad to see the manor implode on itself, despite all the horror that had occurred inside. Yet...there was also relief there. A kind of closure.

"It's...over," Weiss said, wiping her brow.

"You can take off the helmet, Cardin."

The earthen warrior nodded simply as he removed his helm, revealing that it was, indeed, Cardin Winchester beneath it.

"You gonna tell Ozpin about this?"

Weiss shook her head.

"Yeah...me neither. That guy's a dick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue to go, folks, and then that's it! Well, for this fic, anyway. There's still the sequel to go, but maybe I'll take a short break before releasing that : P .
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix


	12. Epilogue - A Hunter Of No Importance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

"Yo Nikos, where's the music player?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite know...is it in one of the cupboards, perhaps?"

"Nah, nah, only meds 'n stuff go in there."

"Maybe we could just perform a vocal rendition instead?"

"Well I suppose it's worth a shot. Oh, shiz, he's waking up!"

As Jaune's eyes gradually fluttered open, he was in no way prepared for the impromptu acapella duet of Edvard Grieg's _Morning Mood_ to assault his eardrums. Well, one part of it, anyway; the doc's voice was actually quite soothing.

"...what," Jaune said flatly, twisting his head this way and that as he tried to figure out where he was. Clinical white walls, clinical white tiled floor, clinical cupboards, clinical _doctor_...obviously he was in the-

"It's not a clinic, it's an _infirmary_!" Doctor Lavender insisted sharply.

"I didn't even say anything!"

"You were thinking it…" she grumbled, narrowing her eyes.

Doctor Lavender, as many students would vouch for, was a few forks short of a cutlery drawer. Most of Beacon's staff members were somewhat odd, admittedly, but it was probably Doc Lavender who was the most overtly so. In a clinic- uh, _infirmary_ that was pretty much all a blinding white, she wore a dark blue labcoat, light blue t-shirt, even lighter blue cargo shorts and a pair of pink sandals because, surprise, they’d run out of blue. People had told her that dressing in the same shade as her eye and hair colour was nuts, and Doc Lavender had agreed completely, smiled, then proceeded to do it anyway. She did that a lot, really.

"Anyways, yo Arc-man. How're you feelin'? Comfy?"

Jaune shuffled pathetically, desperately hoping that he wasn't the only student in Lavender’s care. Unfortunately, since the two beds either side of him were empty, along with the five on the opposite wall, he had to assume the worst; Lavender was going to start _doting._

"Need anything? Food, water, new clothes, a scale model of an angry Beowolf, a bike-"

"No no no, I'm just fine, thank you!" Jaune exclaimed hastily, trying in vain to get up from the bed.

_Dust, these covers are on tight! Wait...am I topless right now?_

"You sure about the clothes part?" Lavender asked, pointing a tanned thumb over to the ever-patient Pyrrha Nikos, winking all the while.

"...a shirt would be nice."

"Alrighty...there ya go, Arc-man. Mind if I go get a hot chocolate while you get changed?"

"That'd be grea- uh, I mean, not a problem, Doc Lavender!"

It was with great relief that Jaune watched Lavender pop through the door to his right...not that he'd ever say it to her face. Pyrhha, meanwhile, simply continued to sit on her little fold-up chair by the bed, her weapon carefully propped up at the side of the doorway.

_Is she just going to sit there while I...?_

"Oh! You'll want to be getting dressed now, won't you? Sorry, I was a little lost in thought…"

Pyrrha politely turned her chair the other way, continuing to whistle _Morning Mood_ off-tune as her team-mate finally put on a shirt. A flannel pajama top, in fact.

_Iiiiit's blue. Eeyup...really should've seen this one coming._

"Okay, you can turn around, now."

"So...how are you _actually_ feeling?" Pyrrha asked intently, leaning forward on one of the bed rails. "Since I know you wouldn't say anything while Doc Lavender was still around."

Jaune shrugged.

"Eh, I'm okay. Pretty tired, but I guess that's natural considering what-"

_Wait a minute. Does Pyrrha actually know?_

"Uh, by which I mean-"

"Don't worry, Jaune, you don't need to explain anything; Weiss told me all about it when she got back."

"Really?" Jaune inquired cautiously. He wasn't sure how much Weiss had actually revealed, and he wasn't willing to dispense any information that wasn't his to give.

"Yeah, imagine finding that secret entrance, right in the middle of the Emerald Forest! You must be quite the detective."

"Well, uh, we got lucky, really…"

"Shame there wasn't anything down there, though."

Jaune nodded slowly, not trusting himself to speak.

"Oh well...at least you discovered your semblance in the drop. How grand!"

Having already loosened the covers to put the shirt on, it was fairly simple for Jaune to raise his hand over the bed, surrounding its surface with the same hexagonal shield from the mansion.

"I guess...not that it's too special compared to yours, Pyrrha."

The red-haired girl smiled kindly.

"It's often the semblance that's the most general that has the most utility. Polarity might _seem_ great, but the applications of it are somewhat narrower than you'd think."

"We're not going to have a 'who's semblance is the least useful' competition, are we?" Jaune asked playfully.

"Not unless you want us to!"

For a moment, the two of them said nothing, merely enjoying the feel of each other's company.

_Dust, she's beautiful. Wait, what?_

"Ding dong!" a hyperactive voice piped up from outside, bursting through the door without a second thought. Her constant companion followed close after, his left hand carrying a plain brown box while his right gingerly gripped a lovely tree blooming with delicate white flowers.

"Nora, Ren!" Jaune called out happily. "So the gang's all here, huh? What's with the packages?"

"Well~" Nora began, pulling up a chair from the side and proceeding to stand on top of it. "The stuff in the box is delicious chocolate cake, made by yours truly…with some help from my fantastic assistant chef Lie Ren, of course! Woop woop!"

"I had a question about that, actually," Pyrrha said as she took the plant pot from Ren. "Weren't we making victoria sponge? How did you manage to bake a chocolate cake when we weren't actually given any chocolate to use?"

There was a short pause.

"I have absolutely no idea!" Nora cried happily, beckoning for Ren to pass the cake box to Jaune. Opening it up, Jaune found his nostrils attacked by what had to be one of the most powerful cocoa smells he had experienced in his entire life. He almost coughed but, not wanting to hurt Nora's feelings, he merely passed the cake back.

"You know, I don't really mind you eating it, Nora. I'm still a little dazed after what happened and, well, I wouldn't want such fantastic chocolate cake to go to-"

"-waste?"

_Well, I know what I'm going to be seeing in my nightmares tonight._

"Did...did she just…?" Pyrrha began, just as shocked as everyone else…well, except Ren, obviously.

"That's...an interesting way to eat a chocolate cake, Nora," Jaune noted, his expression assuming something between curiosity and abject horror.

"Mmhm!" Nora agreed, wiping the leftover chocolate from her mouth. "It's my patented Black Hole™ technique!"

"Right...what about the tree, then?"

"Weiss sent it over," Ren replied simply, putting the empty chocolate cake box up his sleeves. "Well, sort of. She said she had to take care of something, so I offered to bring her gift early since we were delivering that cake anyway. It's a myrtle, by the way."

"Can I…?" Jaune asked, taking the pot from Pyrrha with as much care as he could muster…which wasn’t much, really, but at least it didn’t break.

"The flowers are very...white? Nice, though."

"Mmhm," Ren agreed. "This one's quite young, but in time, it will grow to quite the size. Still, why not just send a bouquet?”

"I don't know, Ren," Jaune commented dryly. "Maybe she thought it'd brighten up the interior a bit."

Looking a little closer at the plant's flowers, Jaune spotted a cleverly camouflaged white tag, fishing it out to discover some strange looking blue scribble written all over it.

_Oh, right…that's Weiss' handwriting, isn't it?_

"Um...can anyone read what's on this tag? I’m not having much luck on my own."

Always eager to help, it was Pyrrha who first tried to crack the code.

"Rolling around at the speed of sound...got places to go gotta follow my rainbow? That doesn't seem right."

Next was Nora.

"Hm…ooh, I know! 'I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.' Wow, I didn't know Weiss got married!"

Finally, it was Ren's turn.

"Let's see...'Dear Jaune, sorry for all the trouble I caused with our little trip. If you need my help with anything, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.'"

Jaune blinked.

"As much as this one actually makes sense, that really doesn't sound like something Weiss would say."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Jaune," Pyrrha cut in. "She's has been acting fairly odd ever since she came back."

"What, you mean...nicer?"

"Hm…kind of? It’s a little difficult to describe, to be honest. I think you'll understand once you see her."

Jaune looked out of the window, realising that a clear blue sky was something he never thought he’d miss until the excursion to the manor. Strange.

_I wonder what she had to do that was so important?_

* * *

Knock knock knock.

"Door's open."

Weiss wasn't exactly one to visit other team’s rooms, but given the circumstances, she supposed dropping by CRDL's dorm wouldn't be all that bad. Still, she was glad to discover that Cardin was the only one present in the surprisingly neat room, repetitively throwing a cricket ball in the air as he laid down on his bed.

"Good morning, Cardin," she greeted pleasantly.

Cardin frowned as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Weiss? Figured you'd be with your team today."

"Yes, well...I thought that perhaps we should talk about what happened in the manor. By which I mean...I wanted to thank you."

Cardin shook his head as he sat up.

"I'm not the one you should be thanking. Jaune and Bianca did all the work."

"Yes, well, I'm going down to visit the former quite soon, but before I do…"

Weiss bit her lip.

"May I sit down?"

As Cardin gave the all-clear, Weiss took her seat, gingerly laying Myrtenaster 2.0 across the floor.

"When we were in the manor, you told him you were called Spade. Why?"

"Technically it was Bianca who called me that, but...as for why I didn't tell him the truth…"

He sighed.

"I don't know. I guess I just wanted to talk without worrying about what happened before."

"You mean back when you were a jerk?"

Cardin chuckled darkly.

"Still am, heiress...just a bit more selective on who I'm a jerk _to_."

"So why not tell him now? You could come with me to the infirmary, if you like."

"It's...difficult."

"Oh?" Weiss asked, her tone dubious.

"...Jaune's the kind of guy who doesn't like fighting his friends. When I challenge him at the Vytal Festival, I don't want him to hold back."

"What? You want to fight him? Why?"

Cardin grimaced.

"Look, it's...I really don't feel like talking about it right now. Tell him who Spade was if you like, but I'd prefer it if you didn't. I have my reasons, even if I'm being a dick and not telling you what they are."

"Hm...I'll keep quiet, then, out of respect for your privacy if nothing else. Everyone's entitled to their secrets, I suppose."

Just as Weiss was about to walk out of the door, she stopped dead, turning back one last time.

"The sword…"

"Hm?"

"What's it called?"

Cardin's eyes assumed a melancholy expression.

"...Zinnia. Named after her favourite flower."

"You know, if you ever need to talk about it sometime…"

Cardin smiled genuinely.

"I think I'd like that."

As the Schnee heiress departed from CRDL's dorm, her thoughts turned to her visit with Jaune, belting Zinnia to her waist as she walked. She was so wrapped up in her plans, in fact, that she didn't seem to notice the sword's soft glow, nor the faint tinkling of a girl's laughter echoing through the halls.

_I ship it!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Done and done. This is the first time I've fully reworked one of my older pieces of writing, and while it was a bit spotty in places, I'm still pretty proud of the standard I had back then. I can only hope that I can continue to improve going into the future ^^.
> 
> In any case, this is the last official chapter of In A Grimm Manor, but as you might remember, this work is part of a series. The sequel, None Of Your Business, will be posted next week, and like this one, will be updated every two days. Look forward to it!
> 
> \- Soulwithlife, aka Blake Phoenix


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